Sudden Surrender
by KnifeInTheCrayonBox
Summary: At thirteen, Elsa's powers are out of control. She begs her parents for a teacher to help her control them, so they send envoys to every country in search of such a person. When one comes back with news of a school for gifted children, Elsa is thrilled, but things are never as simple as they appear, and there are other mutants interested in using Elsa's powers. Post-First Class
1. Shattered Castles

Chapter One – Shattered Castles

_Arendelle, Norway_

_January 1966_

Whenever I got scared, the world turned blue.

It was like putting on glasses with a coat of blue paint over them, and when the world turned blue, the ice followed. It spread out of me like water flowing down a hill. I couldn't stop it. Even with the gloves, my powers continued to grow and find ways to escape. Occasionally my chair would freeze over, or I'd wake up in the middle of the night to white sheets frozen stiff. Sometimes, I could freeze things just by looking at them. My powers were growing and becoming even more out of control.

After five straight years of "Conceal, don't feel. Don't let it show," it wasn't working. The gloves only worked for a little while, and even controlling my emotions only seemed to work half the time. I was a danger to everyone, and I couldn't let anyone else get hurt because of me. I wouldn't let it happen. There were two options left—learn how to control my powers, or run away. I could live up on the North Mountain in a castle made of ice. I wouldn't have to stay cooped up in one room all the time, and there would be no fear of harming anyone. I could be free up there. Perhaps it would be best for everyone. I only brought pain to others and to myself. If I went away then they would be happy and I would be happy.

I pushed away the troubling thoughts that seemed to hover over me like snow storms, and instead concentrated on the small ice castle in front of me. I had been working on it for the past hour, getting all the small designs and details just right. It was about two feet high, and made completely of ice I had conjured. I waved a hand and immediately a snowflake design carved itself into the tall double doors at the front. It opened up to a foyer with a frozen fountain in the middle and a grand staircase that started out at two points at the bottom but curved and met up on the floor above. My castle had several spiraling towers, but in the highest one was my bedroom. It had a giant ice chandelier that took me twenty minutes to get just right, and a balcony that overlooked everything. I put all my focus on the intricate details as I carved pictures into the walls. I knew mama and papa wouldn't be happy if they knew I was using my powers—I was supposed to be learning to control them, after all, and I couldn't do that if I used them—but I was bored. There wasn't much to do in my room.

As a last minute thought I added another tower right next to mine. With a flick of my wrist a double bed with a canopy and tiny little doll house appeared. If things were different then maybe Anna could have lived with me in my castle. It would have been her room, and we could have played all day in the snow. I made sure there were no doors in the castle to either her room or mine, only open entrances, so that there would never again be anything between us—keeping us apart. Suddenly there was a knock on my door. I jumped and my finger slipped, creating a small crack in the castle.

A moment later Anna's voice called through the door, "Do you want to build a snowman?" I remained silent and waited for her to leave. Eventually she would, she always did…but then she would always come back, no matter how many times I told her no or ignored her. After a couple moments of silence she decided to continue. "We don't _have_ to build a snowman, though. We could ride our bikes, or play dress-up…or we could go downstairs and steal some chocolate from the kitchen! I know a way to sneak past the cooks and get into the—"

"Go away, Anna!" I snapped, clenching my hands into fists at my side. _Of course I want to build a snowman and ride bikes and steal chocolate with you…but I can't. It kills me inside, but this is the way it has to be,_ I wanted to say, but I couldn't. I could never say what I wanted to say, or do what I wanted to do. I had to protect Anna above all else.

There was a palpable silence that settled over my room and the space outside. I glanced down at the crack beneath the door and saw the shadow of her feet take a step back.

"All right." I could hear the defeat and hurt in her voice—another stab in my heart. "Well, if you change your mind, you…you know where to find me." I heard her soft footfalls receding down the hallway, carrying her farther away from me and widening the already giant chasm between us.

I brought a fist up and rubbed at my eyes so I wouldn't cry. Why couldn't she just leave me alone? It would make it so much easier. At first I thought maybe we could go back to how it was once I learned how to control my powers, but that was no longer an option. I sniffled as I thought about never seeing Anna again. I'd never see that giant smile she wore whenever she got excited, or that ever-present sparkle in her eyes. She must think I didn't care about her, which was the furthest thing from the truth.

I turned away from the door and walked over to the window. My room was on the highest floor, so I could see practically everything from up here. Down below were the castle grounds, covered with glittering snow. Suddenly someone ran out into the courtyard, kicking up the white, untouched powder. I squinted and realized it was Anna. Her mouth opened up in a laugh as she laid down and moved her arms and legs back and forth, making a snow angel. I felt a pang of sadness that I couldn't be down there playing with her, because I could still remember a time when we used to make snow angels and snowmen.

She stood up and looked down at her snow angel in satisfaction, then stooped down and started piling snow into a small mound. It was about a foot high when she stopped and began scraping some off, forming it into a ball. I felt a lump form in my throat when I realized she was building a snowman. Anna sat back and stared at the ball of snow before giving a nod. Then she began making another one by rolling a snowball through the snow. When that was complete she put it on top of the base. After that she crafted a head and managed to place it on top. I watched curiously as she reached into her jacket and pulled out a carrot before sticking it in the snowman's head.

It looked exactly like the one we built five years ago. As a final touch she ran over to a nearby tree and plucked two small branches, then stuck them in either side as arms. I could see her smiling face as she made his arms move and then leaned forward and gave him a hug. I felt a smile start to stretch across my face, but suddenly visions of the past flashed before me: Anna crumpling to the ground, cold and motionless after I struck her with ice; the overwhelming fear that she might die because of _me._

With a gasp I yanked my curtains closed and turned away from the scene. My shoulders and neck suddenly felt very tight. I reached a hand up and rubbed my neck, but it didn't do any good. I began pacing my room to clear my head, but anxiety welled up inside me. Doubts seemed to bombard my mind, whispering fears in my ear.

_Calm down, Elsa. Calm down_, I told myself, but while my mind said one thing, my body fell into a panic. A complete and utter sense of fear slammed into me, and I felt like I was dying all of the sudden. My vision started to blur as everything turned a deep shade of blue. I stopped short and squeezed my eyes shut, reaching up and tangling my fingers into my hair.

"Conceal, don't feel. Conceal, don't feel. Conceal, don't feel," I chanted to myself, tightening my grip until I could feel pain all over my scalp. The walls seemed to be closing in all around me, and I couldn't think right. My heartbeat increased and I could feel the magic flowing through me, spreading to all parts of my body. Suddenly I heard the sound of ice cracking and opened my eyes to find the floor icing under my feet. I gasped and jumped back, but the ice followed my feet, spreading out in all directions.

"No, no, no!" I muttered to myself. I couldn't breathe, couldn't think. The only sound I could hear was that of my own heart beating loudly in my ears.

There was a sudden pounding on my door, and I jumped, feeling my body freeze in place. For the first time, I felt a sense of coldness wash over me. The door burst open and papa and mama rushed in.

"What's going on?" mama asked, glancing around my half frozen room. Papa immediately rushed over to me, but I held up my hands.

"No, stay away from me!" A blast of ice shot out of my hand against my will. Papa jumped to the side and narrowly avoided the attack as it froze the wall behind him. Mama let out a scream and I glanced over to see her hands fly to her mouth, covering it in shock. Tears welled up in my eyes; I was a monster.

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" I cried, furiously brushing away the tears from my cheeks. I backed into a corner and felt the wall freeze behind me as soon as my back touched it. "Don't come any closer, I don't want to hurt you!"

The room faded as large blue spots appeared, blocking my vision. I clenched my hands into fists and brought them up to my eyes, covering them in fear. "Make it stop! Please, make it _stop_!" I begged, sliding down the frozen wall until I was curled up into a ball.

"Elsa, just calm down. You're only making it worse for yourself. Conceal it, don't feel it. Don't let it show," papa murmured, his voice soothing me as he came closer and closer. When I finally felt my heartbeat slow, I opened my eyes to find my blue vision fading. Papa was crouched down in front of me. He was so close I could reach out and brush him with my fingertips, but he didn't make a move to touch me. I turned my head away and started sobbing.

"What happened, dear?" mama asked, her eyes trying to hide the fear I knew she felt as she looked at the damage I'd inflicted upon my room. I turned and stared at the thick sheets of ice. My beautiful ice castle lay in a thousand shattered pieces on the floor—reminding me of how I felt: such beauty in my powers, but one tiny crack and it would shatter—_I_ would shatter—never to be put back together again. This was the first time I had lost all control, and it felt foreign to me, but that familiar pang of shame burned my cheeks. I turned my gaze to the ground so I couldn't see their disappointed looks. I'd been trying so hard to hide the fact that I couldn't control it.

"Elsa, tell us what happened," papa said. Even when he commanded me, his voice was gentle. I looked up at them with tears stinging my eyes.

"Anna keeps coming to my room, knocking on the door and asking me if I want to build a snowman. I keep telling her to go away, but she doesn't listen. And then I can't stop thinking about what…what happened five years ago. I wish she would just leave me alone."

"We'll talk to Anna about it," papa assured me.

"And make sure it doesn't happen again," my mama added.

I shook my head. "It doesn't matter. It keeps getting worse, I can't stop it!" I could feel a slow panic building in the pit of my stomach as my voice rose. "I'm scared, papa."

"Getting upset will only make it worse," papa said, holding out his hands. "Just calm down."

He reached out for me, but I jerked back, slamming into the wall as I yelled, "No!"

A look of shock shot across papa's face, and mama let out a gasp as her hands flew to her mouth. I could see the pain clear in their faces, and I knew it was all my fault. I'd caused this. I caused pain to everyone I came in contact with.

"I don't want to hurt you," I added gently. Mama took a step forward and placed a hand on papa's shoulder. He let out a sigh and stood. I followed their example and slowly stood.

"We know you would never hurt us, Elsa," mama said, giving me a forced smile. I shook my head and looked away.

"Not on purpose, but…" I didn't even want to finish that sentence. A sob escaped my throat. "I can't do it, papa! I can't control my powers. I don't know how, and they keep getting stronger…I need someone to show me how."

He raised a hand and began to reach towards me again. When I flinched and the ice began to thicken underneath me, his hand paused. After a moment he pulled it away, a helpless look crossing his face.

"All right," he finally said, giving me a nod. "We'll find someone to teach you. Whatever it takes, we'll find someone."

Papa walked over to the door and pulled the golden tasseled cord that rung for the servants. A few moments later Kai appeared in the doorway. "Yes, sir?"

"We need some servants up here to clean this up." When he gestured to the frozen room Kai seemed to realize it for the first time. He was papa's most trusted servant, and as such, he knew about my ice powers. A few select servants did, but even though he knew about my powers his eyes still widened at the sight. After a few stunned moments he gave a nod and let a mask of indifference slide across his face.

"What shall I tell them happened, sir?"

Papa waved a dismissive hand. "Just make something up. Say that Elsa left her windows open and snow blew in."

"Will there be anything else, sir?"

"Yes, one more thing. I want you to hire envoys and send them out to each country. Instruct them to look for anyone who could possibly teach my daughter how to control her powers. Make sure they understand they are sworn to the utmost secrecy about this matter."

Kai nodded gravely. "I understand, sir. I will get right on it."

Once he left we all stood there in silence for a few minutes before papa let out a sigh and took a step towards the partially frozen door, with mama trailing along behind him.

"We'll talk to Anna and make sure this doesn't happen again, and inform you when a teacher has been found," he said before leaving. Mama gave me a sympathetic look before following papa and closing the door behind her.

I sunk to the floor and wrapped my hands around myself, as if trying to hold all my emotions inside. I could only hope that such a teacher could be found. If there was, then maybe there were others like me out there…others with powers like mine. Then I wouldn't be so alone. I would have someone to talk to—someone who understood what it felt like.

* * *

**I'm not sure when I'll update, but this idea just wouldn't leave me alone. Next chapter should have Elsa meeting Charles. Let me know what you think so far! :)**


	2. Frosty Weather

**This chapter contains minor spoilers for Day Of Future Past.**

* * *

Chapter Two — Frosty Weather

_April, 1966_

Queen Idun sat next to her husband, listening to yet another envoy who had returned. Three months had passed, and since then no one had been found. There had been one or two leads, but they turned out to be fakes only interested in the money. The envoy that had been sent to China stood before them, holding the report about his findings. Both Queen Idun and King Agdar looked hopeful, but the envoy frowned slightly and shook his head.

"No one was found possessing knowledge of teaching someone with special powers, Your Majesty," he said before handing his report over to the head servant. Kai took it and placed it next to the others on a table beside the King's throne. "I'm sorry."

"Thank you for your service," Agdar thanked him. The envoy nodded and walked out of the throne room, the grand double doors closing behind him. Idun let out a small sigh and rubbed her temples with her fingers.

"What if we can't find anyone?" she finally asked. Agdar shook his head and grabbed her hand, giving it a squeeze.

"We can't think like that. If she possesses powers, then there must be others like her out there. She can't be the only one."

Idun pulled her hand away as a knock sounded on the doors. "Let us hope so."

A moment later a guard slipped through the door and announced another envoy. "Your Majesty, Sir Peder Bjornstad has arrived back from America with news."

Idun immediately straightened up. She knew that the chances of him having found someone were slim, but she had to remain hopeful for Elsa's sake. Agdar gave a nod and Sir Peder strode in, opening up the scroll he carried with him.

"Your Majesty, I bring good news from America. I have found a man named Charles Xavier in New York. He ran a school for gifted youngsters."

"Is he here with you now?"

"No, sir. I didn't actually speak with him. You see, when I arrived at America I immediately went searching for experts on the subject of humans with magical powers. There, they don't call it magic—they call it a mutation. That led me to the work of a Professor named Charles Xavier. He's has a Ph.D. in Genetics, Biophysics, and Psychology from Oxford University. I dug deeper and came across his thesis about mutation. He claims that genetic mutation in humans can result in them having special powers. I have the thesis with me right now."

He handed a binder to Kai, who gave it to Agdar. Opening the cover page, he skimmed though the contents for information. Idun leaned over in her throne and tried to get a glimpse of it, but Agdar closed the folder and set it aside, making a mental note to carefully comb through it later.

"Tell me more about this man."

Peder continued, "I did some background research on him to see if there was more than meets the eyes, and…well, I might have broken the law…" He gave Agdar a guilty look.

His eyes widened. "What did you do?"

"I bribed a former CIA agent for information, and he told me that Mr. Xavier was a mutant himself, and had opened a school for others like him so he could teach them how to control their powers. He gave me this address." Peder turned to Kai and handed him a small slip of paper. Agdar took it and glanced down at the address before returning his attention to Peder. "I went there and outside was a plate that read, _'Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters'_. It had fallen off the gate and the whole placed looked rundown, but I figured I would try there anyway. I walked up to the door and a man with glasses answered and informed me that the school was no longer running and that the professor had retired. I asked to see this professor, but I was refused."

He paused and bit down on his lip before he went on unsteadily, "If I may speak freely, Your Majesty…" Agdar gave a nod and Peder continued, "I know it sounds doubtful, but I think this is your best shot. If anyone would be able to teach Elsa, it would be this man. I may not have been able to see the professor, but you have a great deal more power and influence, and you might persuade him to tutor your daughter."

"Yes, you may be right, " Agdar mused, giving the man a curt nod. "Thank you for your service. You will be handsomely rewarded." He signaled for Kai to take the report from the envoy. Peder handed it to him before bowing and walking out of the room. As soon as the doors closed Idun turned to her husband.

"Do you think we should?"

The King remained silent for a few moments, tapping his chin as he considered it. "Yes, I do."

"What if he refuses?"

"Then we'll find a way to convince him. Elsa's power will only grow, and we're running out of options." Idun thought on it and pointed to the thesis paper on the table.

"Can you hand that over to me?"

He picked it up and gave it to her. As she read the pages she became even more convinced this man was the only one who could help her daughter. "When shall we leave?"

"As soon possible, and Elsa will accompany us."

"With all those people around?" Idun said, her eyes widening. "What if she loses control? What if she hurts someone? It's better if she stays here."

"The professor will most likely want to meet her before coming here. He might want to see what she's like and what she can do."

"Can we not just tell him what she's like, and what her powers are?"

"And what if we fail to convince him? She just might be the only one who will be able to persuade the man," Agdar argued. "Besides, we have to see if Elsa likes him."

Idun raised an eyebrow and gave her husband a disbelieving look. "Is that _really_ a priority right now?"

"If she can't stand the man then she won't listen to him."

Idun shook her head. "I still think it's too risky."

"It's a risk we'll have to take. We'll limit her contact with people as much as possible, but she must come with us to New York."

She leaned forward and rested her head against her hand for a minute. She knew it was no use arguing with her husband when he made up his mind. Finally, she let out a sigh as she stood. "I will go tell Elsa and ask the servants to prepare for the trip."

* * *

I sat on my bed, trying to concentrate on the book in my lap, but my mind was elsewhere. Just a few minutes ago, I saw two royal envoys arrive outside the palace. Every time I saw them return my heart would leap to my throat, and I would wait in anticipation for my mama or papa to come to my room and tell me they had found me a teacher…but they never did.

My legs were crossed, with my fingers drumming nervously on my knee. So far twenty envoys had returned from smaller countries, and not one brought back good news. I was starting to lose hope, but knew that Anna would have wanted me to remain hopeful, if she had known. She was always so optimistic. Suddenly there was a knock on my door. I jumped to my feet and started over to it. When I heard the voice on the other side I skidded to a stop.

"Elsa, do you want to build a snowman? Or do anything else? Please?"

"Mama and papa told you to leave me alone," I replied, wrapping my arms around my chest.

"Why do you keep shutting me out Elsa? We used to be so close." The tremble in her voice drove a knife into my heart. I turned my back on the door and tried to reign in my emotions._ Conceal, don't feel. Don't let it show._ Suddenly there was another voice.

"Anna, what are you doing? Your papa and I asked you to leave Elsa alone," I heard mama's gentle voice reprimand her.

"I only wanted to play," she replied quietly.

"I know, but your sister's heart condition is hard on her, and she needs her rest. Now run along and see if the kitchen boy can play with you." I heard the rapid footsteps as Anna ran down the hall, and a moment later there was a soft knock on my door.

"Come in." Mama's kind face appeared in the doorway, and before she could shut the door I blurted out, "Did you find a teacher?"

"We believe so. We're going to America to talk with him and see if he will come back to Arendelle and teach you."

"What is his name? Does he have any special powers?" I asked. Instantly, my feelings changed from sadness to joy. I felt as if I could bounce up and down in excitement, just like Anna used to, but I held it in. Mama didn't answer me right away, instead she took a seat on my bed. I walked over and stood in front of her, hands clasped in front of me.

"His name is Charles Xavier," she began, "and he runs a school for gifted children. Other than that, we don't know."

A whole _school_ for people like me! That meant there would be others with special powers! I would be surrounded by people who could understand how I felt, and all while Mr. Xavier taught me how to control my powers. I would never have to tell Anna to go away again.

"Elsa," mama said, drawing my attention back to her, "you will be traveling with us. I can help you pack, we leave for New York in the morning."

My eyes widened in alarm, and I took a step back. "To New York? But…but all those people, and what if…? No, I might hurt someone. I can't."

"You won't, just remember what papa always tells you…" She nodded at me to finish her sentence.

"Conceal it, don't feel it. Don't let it show," I recited. She gave me a smile.

"Good girl, now let's get your things packed."

The next morning we walked downstairs and I saw Anna up close for the first time in five years as she bid farewell to our parents. She gave them both a hug, and when she walked up to me I took a step back. She seemed to dismiss the gesture and stood there with a big grin and arms wide open, but when I made no move towards her she slowly lowered her arms. Her smile disappeared and she gave me a small nod, which I returned.

"Listen to your tutor while we're gone. We'll be back as soon as we can," papa said before giving her a kiss on the top of her head. At that her smile returned and we set off on a ship bound for New York.

* * *

A knock on my cabin door woke me. I opened my eyes and looked around blearily. As I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes, I could make out my cabin in the dim lighting. Was it really morning? Why was it so dark outside? When I looked out the narrow piece of window my curtains didn't cover, I saw a stormy gray sky. There were little ripples in the ocean where raindrops hit the water. My door swung open and papa appeared. He wore a heavy winter coat and held an umbrella.

"Elsa, come see New York," he said with a smile.

I quickly dressed, grabbed an umbrella, and peeked out the door to make sure no crewmen were around before walking over to my papa. With one gloved hand I held the umbrella, while I placed the other on the wet railing. The rain drizzled down lazily as the boat slowly eased up to the docks. The weather was a bit frosty and cold, but it didn't bother me.

"Do you see that statue over there?" papa asked, pointing to an island near the harbor. My mouth dropped open a little as I turned and saw the giant statue standing on a pedestal. I nodded and papa continued, "She's called Lady Liberty."

I thought she was beautiful—just the right color of glacial green and ice blue mixed together. She wore a long gown and held a book in one hand, while her other hand held up a torch. It radiated a light that seemed to chase away the gray storm clouds all around her. A spiked crown adorned her head. I knew America had no royal family, but she certainly looked like a queen to me.

"Would you like to go and see her?" I heard mama ask from behind me. I turned to see her standing there with her own umbrella and heavy cloak.

"Don't we have to go to Xavier's school?"

"We're going to spent the night at a hotel and go there tomorrow," she replied. Papa walked over to the gangplank leading off the ship, and motioned for us to follow him. The servants carrying our luggage trailed behind us. He turned to them when we reached land.

"Take our bags to The Plaza. We will be there shortly," he instructed them.

After they left we purchased tickets to a ferry that took us over to the statue's island. While my parents strolled along at a leisurely pace, I ran up to her. The top part of my umbrella blocked my view of the giant statue so I tilted it back and stared up at her in awe without anything in my way. She was even taller up close. Raindrops splashed on my face and trailed down my cheeks and neck, but I didn't care. It had been so long since I had breathed in fresh air, or felt rain against my skin.

I glanced back at my parents before running inside the base. Mounted up on the wall was a bronze plaque. I closed my umbrella before walking over to see the words engraved on it. A smile spread across my face as I read the lines near the end of the poem. It reminded me of myself.

_"Give me your tired, your poor,_

_Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,_

_The wretched refuse of your teeming shore._

_Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,_

_I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"_

"Hello," an unfamiliar voice said from behind me.

I jumped and felt the magic spring up inside, threatening to spill out of me. It took all of my willpower to keep it contained and push it back down. _Conceal, don't feel_. I took a deep breath and turned around to see a woman standing behind me. She was dressed all in white, from the top of her dress to her knee-high boots. She had cold blue eyes like mine and a smile that reminded me of a tiger about to pounce on its prey. Despite this, I didn't feel afraid of her.

"Hello," I replied. I slowly uncurled my fists when I felt my magic was back under control.

"You're not from around here." It was a statement, not a question. I was about to reply when she took a step forward to stand beside me. Instinctively, I took a few steps to the side. If she got too close, I might accidentally hurt her. She noticed when I took a step back, and chuckled.

"You don't need to be afraid of me, child."

"I'm not afraid of you."

She narrowed her eyes at me and a slightly concentrated look crossed her face. In another instant it was gone. She tilted her head to one side. "No, you're afraid of yourself," she said in a matter-of-fact sort of way.

I felt like someone had wrapped a rope around my neck and was slowly tightening it. I could feel the ice forming on my fingertips, and everything turned a light shade of blue.

"How could you know that?" I tried to sound brave and confident, but my voice wobbled and sounded high-pitched.

She smiled like she knew a secret. "Let's just say I'm good at reading people."

"Is that how you knew I'm not from around here?"

"Yes. That and you don't dress like an American." Her eyes glanced over my clothes.

I nervously grabbed at the fabric of my dress, rubbing the material between my fingers. "We're from a small kingdom in Norway. They're very traditional there," I explained, and I couldn't stop the words that kept spilling out of my mouth, "We're just visiting here to see New York."

She tilted her head to the side again. "Is that so?" she asked, like she didn't believe what I'd just told her.

I nodded. "Yes."

I could see in her eyes she didn't believe we were here just to do some sightseeing, but she decided not to press the matter, and instead turned her gaze to the plaque. "Beautiful poem, isn't it?"

"Yes," I replied with a smile.

The woman smiled too. "A nice idea, freedom and liberty. It's just too bad it's all a lie."

My eyes snapped over to her, and I raised a brow in questioning. "What do you mean?"

"_'Her name Mother of Exiles', 'her beacon-hand Glows world-wide welcome', 'Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free',_" She quoted, gesturing towards the plaque. With a flick of her hand she flipped her curly blond hair over one shoulder before turning to face me. "Those lines suggest that everyone who comes here will be treated equally, but it only applies to normal people. If you're, say, _special,_" she put heavy emphasis on this word before giving a chuckle. "Well, then you're not welcome at all. They fear those who are different. Like I said, it's a nice idea, just not the truth."

In that moment, I had the strange feeling she knew exactly who I was and what I could do. "W-what do you mean by special?" I asked in a near whisper.

She gave me a sweet smile. "I think you know exactly what I mean."

"Why are you telling me this?" I asked, taking a step away from her.

She shrugged. "Just something to think about." She looked down at her nails with a bored expression. "I must be going now. I hope you find what you came looking for, Elsa. I have a feeling we'll be seeing each other again very soon."

"Elsa? Where are you?" I heard my mama calling from outside.

I turned my head toward the entrance and called out, "In here."

When I turned back to ask the woman how she knew my name, she was gone. I took a few steps and spun around, wondering where she went, but my parents suddenly walked in.

"Elsa, are you looking for something?" mama asked as she strolled over to me. I shook my head, and wondered if I was going insane. Maybe I just imagined her.

"No," I answered.

We climbed the stairs that led to the top of the statue. Because of the rain, we were the only people there, which was probably the only reason mama and papa took me to see it. After we looked at the view from above, we returned to the harbor and took a taxi to The Plaza. When we arrived my parents quickly ushered me in to avoid as many people as possible. My parents had a separate room, so once I was inside they told me they were right next door if I needed them, then left. For the rest of the day I laid on the bed or watched the people in the street down below, but my mind wandered.

Had that encounter with the strange woman been all in my imagination, or was it real?

* * *

The next morning we left The Plaza and took a taxi to the address on the slip of paper papa carried with him. It took an hour, but we finally arrived outside the school.

I was surprised to see weeds everywhere, and a partially crumbling brick wall surrounding the property. A plaque reading _'Xavier's School For Gifted Children'_ lay in a pile of weeds, and a sign on the metal gates declared, _'Private Property, Keep Out'_. Trees blocked my view of the building I knew rested behind the wall. I raised an eyebrow and turned to my parents.

"It doesn't look like the school is open," I said, and mama nodded.

"The school was closed, but we're hoping the Professor will agree to teach you."

Papa leaned forward and paid the taxi driver, then instructed him to wait for us. We walked up to the gate and papa pushed it open. The inside was just as rundown, and reminded me of a jungle. Trees were planted everywhere, and in some places, the grass reached over our heads, but when I saw the school building, I was left in awe. It was beautiful, and reminded me of a smaller version of my home. It didn't look like a school, but a castle—complete with spiraling towers. We made our way around the empty, cracked fountain with grass growing inside, and came to the front door. Papa knocked, and a few moments later a man wearing glasses cracked the door open a few inches.

"Can I help you?"

"Yes, we're here to see Professor Xavier," my papa explained. "We heard he runs this school."

The man shook his head. "Your information is outdated. The school was shut down a couple years ago, and nobody is allowed to see the Professor."

"Please, sir, we just need a minute or two of his time. My daughter here," he moved aside so the man could see me, "has powers that she can't control. We're hoping Professor Xavier could help her learn to control them."

The man turned his green eyes to me. I could see sympathy and understanding in them, but he finally turned his gaze back to my papa and shook his head. "I wish I could help, but like I said, the school is closed. I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

He tried to close the door, but papa shot forward and pushed it back open. "Sir, you don't understand, I have have come a long way to see Professor Xavier, and I'm not leaving until I do."

"I'm sorry, sir, I really am, but even if I let you in he would never agree to see you. He doesn't want to see anyone," the man argued, barely even breaking a sweat, while my father pushed against the door as hard as he could. Papa suddenly got a look of complete concentration on his face and shoved his whole body against the door. The boy stumbled back and the door flew open, banging against the door. He marched inside, while mama and I followed at a slower pace. The man with glasses raced after papa as he pushed through a set of doors into the foyer.

"I said the school is closed, you need to leave." His voice was more commanding this time.

"And I said not until I see Professor Xavier," papa said as he headed for the double stairs. The man reached out and grabbed his arm, spinning his around.

"You can't go up there!"

Papa yanked his arm away. "Don't touch me!"

"Then leave, or I'll have to call the cops."

"I'm not leaving."

He turned around and once again headed for the stairs. Mama and I stood in the doorway, not sure whether we should enter or just stay here until papa found Professor Xavier. The man reached out again and grabbed papa's arm, yanking him away from the stairs. A look of anger passed papa's face as he spun around and punched the man in the face. A scream escaped my mama's lips and I let out a gasp as he fell to the ground, holding his nose. Papa seemed to realize we were standing there, and his face softened as he glanced over at us.

"I'm sorry, but I came all the way here to see Professor Xavier, and I'm not leaving until I do," papa apologized as the man lay on the ground. He swiped his glasses off as papa turned around and started up the stairs. Mama went chasing after papa, but I stayed where I was, my eyes glued on the man. He was grunting and groaning, his fist pounding against the ground. Suddenly his skin started to turn blue, and hair sprouted all over his body. He jumped up and lunged for papa.

I screamed.

My vision went blue, and ice spread out all around, shooting up the walls and crusting over the ceiling. Papa spun around and jumped to the side as the creature landed on the frozen stairs. He pushed mama behind him and looked at the animal in terror.

"Stay back!" he cried, his arms spread out to protect mama. The beast crouched down and pounced on papa. Mama screamed and ran over to me as the thing pinned papa to the ground and began to hit him.

"_No!_" I screamed. Snow whipped up like a storm, swirling around the room and covering everything. I ran around the table and shot a blast of ice at the creature, sending him flying back. "Stay away from my papa!"

Papa scrambled to his feet and ran over to me. "Elsa, Idun, get out of here!" he cried over the roar of the wind, pointing towards the door. The creature got up and shook itself off before leaping down the stairs on all fours.

"Papa, watch out!" I cried as the creature lunged.

I pushed Papa out of the way and the beast flew by, nicking me with its claws. I let out a cry at the sharp pain, and looked down to see a cut running down my arm. I wrapped a hand over the wound and blood pooled between my fingers. Papa flew into a rage when he saw. He ran over to the banister and ripped off a piece of the frozen railing, holding it out at the beast like a sword.

"Idun, get Elsa out of here!" he cried as the beast leaped for him. I felt mama grab me and drag me towards the doors. I craned my neck around and watched as papa swung the makeshift weapon at the creature. As it connected with him, the beast slipped on the ice and went tumbling to the floor. I wrenched myself from mama's grasp and shot a hand out towards the creature, making a burst of wind slam into him, sending him flying across the ice.

Mama wrapped her hands around my waist and picked me up, dragging me away from the scene. The beast suddenly sprung up and ran at papa, knocking the table aside. It flew over our heads and splintered into pieces as it hit the doorway, blocking our exit. Mama darted to the left and yanked open a door.

"I don't want to fight you!" I heard papa yell before she shut the door behind us.

She quickly dropped on her knees and held my face in-between her hands. "Elsa, you need to calm down. Conceal it, don't feel it."

My breathing was ragged and I could feel my whole body shaking. I almost couldn't see her in front of me because everything was blue. The only noise I could hear was the roaring in my own head and the ice cracking all around me. I felt warm fingers on my face, and a soothing voice in my ear, whispering reassuring words. Finally, the blue faded away and I saw mama's concerned eyes staring back at me. I could hear a struggle going on outside.

"Are you all right?" she asked breathlessly. I nodded and reached for the door.

"We have to help papa!"

She grabbed my arm and held me back. "We need to stay here. Your papa can handle himself."

As she murmured soothing words and stroked my hair, I felt myself stop shaking. When I finally realized she was touching me I stumbled back, but saw, to my confusion, that I hadn't frozen her hands. She had touched me without getting hurt. How?

"_What is going on down here?_" a new voice rang out in the foyer. Mama walked over to the door and peeked out. I tried to see past her but she held out a hand to stop me. "Hank, get off that poor man!"

"Is papa all right?" I asked frantically.

"Your papa is fine," she murmured.

"And why is the whole bloody room frozen?" I heard the voice ask before she closed the door, turning her gaze to me. I slowly loosened my grip on my arm and saw blood trailing down my ripped sleeve. She dropped down in front of me and lifted the edge of her dress before tearing off several long strips of fabric from her petticoat. When she reached for my arm I instinctively flinched back.

"Elsa, I'm just going to bandage your cut," she said.

"No, I can do it myself." I protested. "I don't want to hurt you." With a sigh she placed the strips of fabric in front of me. I picked up one and wiped away the blood, then wrapped the others around my arm like a bandage.

"Are you all right, Elsa?" I nodded. She gave me a smile before she stood and turned to the door. "I think it's Professor Xavier," she said, peeking out. "Your father and I are going to talk to him. Stay here until one of us comes to get you."

I gave a nod before she pulled the door open and slipped through. A moment later the door shut behind her and I was left alone in the room.

* * *

**Well, Elsa hadn't met Charles yet, but I can promise she will in the next chapter, although it will be told from Charles point of view. I'm not very good at writing fight scenes, especially since Elsa is watching it happen, and her dad is seriously outmatched, but I hope it's all right.**

**If you've made it this far I can only assume you've seen Days Of Future Past, or don't mind spoilers. I've been asked if I'll be including events from the movie in this story. Some of the events will be included, and some won't. Like the school being shutdown, Xavier being able to walk, and Eric being locked up will be in the story, but the Trask/Sentinel storyline won't, because I've got my own storyline planned out for this.**

**Thanks to everyone who commented, subscribed, or favorited. You guys are awesome. :)**


	3. Not Alone

Chapter Three - Not Alone

_Charles_

When I heard a scream, followed by the roar of wind, then more screaming and yelling downstairs, I knew I should probably go and see what Hank had done this time. Moving over to the window and pulling the drapes aside, I saw the unmistakable bright yellow of a taxi parked outside the gates. Maybe it was that man who came looking for me a week ago. I reached into the cabinet and poured myself a scotch before walking out the door. I just knew I would need it. As soon as I came to the stairs leading down to the foyer, I started to wonder if I had been drinking too much. Everything beyond the threshold, which separated the hallway and the steps leading downstairs, was completely iced over. I should just turn around and go back to my study, but I stepped forward, onto the frozen steps.

"_What is going on down here?"_ I yelled as I held onto the icy railing tightly, trying not to slip. When I reached the landing I looked down to see Hank pinning a man to the ground. Hank froze and looked up at me. "Hank, get off that poor man!"

He stood up and backed away from him. The stranger was dressed oddly. He let out a huff as he slowly rose and straightened his clothes, brushing off the dirt and dust. I looked all around to see the entire room covered in a thin sheet of ice, as well as snow on the ground.

"And why is the whole bloody room frozen?"

"Are you Professor Xavier?" the man asked.

"Please don't call me that, I'm not a professor anymore." I walked over to the steps leading to the ground floor and sat on the first one, ignoring the cold ice.

"Hello, I'm King Agdar of Arendelle." Ah, so he was royalty. Well, that certainly explained the clothes, but what about the room? "I'm sorry about this mess. You see, my daughter—" he began to explain, but I held up a hand to silence him.

"You know what? It doesn't matter, I can have Hank clean it up later." Hank gave a low growl to show his displeasure. "What's even more perplexing than a frozen room is how you managed to miss the sign out front. This is private property, so I'm going to ask Hank to escort you…" As I glanced between Hank and the man and saw the glares they threw at each other, I knew it wouldn't be a good idea to ask Hank to do anything that involved interacting with the man. I really didn't want to have a murder on my hands. It was bad enough the whole room was frozen solid. "Actually, I'll escort you out myself. Come along."

As I gripped the railing and used it to stand, the man took a step forward and held up both hands. "Please, Mr. Xavier, I just need a minute of your time. I've come because—" He trailed off as a door to my left opened and a woman wearing a long, purple gown stepped out, walking over to the man.

"Elsa is fine, dear."

He gave a nod and wrapped an arm around her shoulders before turning back to look at me. "My daughter has powers that she can't control. She did all this—" He gestured to the ice encrusted room, "by accident. We need you to tutor her—to show her how to control it."

I leaned against the railing and watched the amber liquid in the glass swirl around as I tilted it. "I don't teach anyone anymore."

"Please, her powers are only growing stronger. She doesn't know how to control them."

"I'm sorry for your troubles, but that's not my problem."

"We're prepared to pay you whatever amount you desire. Money is no object."

I gestured all around. "Do I look like I need your money?"

"You're our only hope. Please, find it in your heart to give her a chance," he pleaded.

"Your minute is up. Now please leave—" I was interrupted by the woman, who took a few steps forward, clasping her hands together, as if begging me.

"Please, just meet her before you decide." Before I could reply she walked over to the door and ushered out a young girl with snow white hair and big blue eyes. She met my gaze and smiled, her eyes shining with hope. As she came closer she slowed down and just stared at me, her head tilted slightly to the side, as if she was searching for something. Finally, she reached the stairs and climbed, stopping on the step just below mine.

She leaned forward and lowered her voice slightly, throwing a glance at her parents standing only a few feet away. "Are there really _others_ like me out there?" Her gaze was so full of hope and admiration that all I could do was nod. A full blown smile slid across her face.

"All this time I thought I was the only one. I thought I was alone," she whispered, staring down at her hands like she was seeing them for the first time. Those words...so familiar to me. She reminded me of Eric. I bent down to her level and gave her a small smile.

"You're not alone."

"And you—do you have magic too?"

"What you call magic, I call a mutation..." I looked down at my shoes. "And, no, I don't. Not anymore."

She tilted her head to one side. "But you _are_ Mr. Xavier—the wizard who will teach me to control my powers, right?"

My smile faltered and I had to look away. "I'm not a wizard, and I don't know if I can teach you."

Her smile instantly disappeared, a panicked look replacing it. "Please, you have to help me. I have to control them! I don't want to be a monster anymore."

I furrowed my eyebrows and shook my head. "Your powers don't make you a monster. It's what you do with them that determines what you are."

Her gaze shifted down to the ground. "They make me bad. They made me hurt my sister when I was young, and I never want to hurt anyone ever again." Her eyes flickered back up to meet mine, eyes pooling with tears. "Please, Mr. Xavier, I hate being confined to my bedroom. I can't leave, I can't see my sister—I can't do anything."

I lifted my eyes to her parents, shocked. "You locked her up inside a room?"

The mother shifted from one foot to another, clearly uncomfortable, but the father took a step forward and spread his arms out wide, as if pleading his case to me. "We had to hide her powers. What else could we do? We couldn't let…if anyone else found out they would have been afraid. They wouldn't understand. We did it to protect her, and our other daughter."

Guilt entered my mind, reminding me of what I said to Raven when I was younger. I'd told her essentially the same thing when she asked why she couldn't show her blue form. I thought I was doing the right thing—I thought I was protecting her, but all it did was make her feel ashamed of herself. It was part of what eventually drove her away. _I_ drove her away because I forced her to hide it. She felt rejected by me, so she went with someone who accepted her—someone who set her on a dark path that even I couldn't save her from.

I reached out a hand to put on her shoulder—to comfort her, but she jerked away, eyes widening in alarm. The ground beneath her feet frosted over, adding another layer of ice, and she looked down at it in fear.

"Don't touch me...I don't want to hurt you," she said, holding her hands close to her chest. I stood up and turned my eyes to her parents.

"All right, I'll teach her, but not for money, and not because of what you said. For her." _For Raven,_ I added silently in my head. If I could save just one mutant from a similar fate, then maybe I wouldn't feel so terrible about failing her. As I looked down into the girl's adoring blue eyes, I made myself a vow. I wouldn't fail this one.

Her father walked up to me and gave me a handshake. "Thank you very much, Mr. Xavier. We'll leave as soon as you're packed and we'll set sail. We can make arrangements for you once we reach Arendelle—"

I held up a hand. "Whoa, what?"

"I assume you'll be staying at the palace, correct? Preferably close to Elsa's room—"

"I'm not going anywhere. I'll teach Elsa here, at the school. I have all the supplies I need right here."

"We can have anything you need brought to Arendelle, and you need not worry about the basic subjects. She has a private tutor for that. All we need you to do is teach her how to control her powers."

"That's not going to work. This house has undergone improvements to help train mutant children. If I tried to teach her in your palace it would end up in ruins. I have the means to train her here."

The man pressed his lips into a fine line, then turned to his wife. "What do you think?"

"Well, if this is the only way…" she said softly, her voice trailing off.

"No!" Elsa cried out, the ice spreading out all around her. Soft snow started to fall all around us. "Please, don't send me away! I'll be all alone here. "

"Elsa, please, calm your mind," I said as I bent down in front of her. I got as close to her as I could without touching her. "You won't be alone here. Hank and I will be here with you. I want to help you learn to control your powers, but I can't do that if you won't let me." The snow slowed down a bit as Elsa visibly calmed down. "That's it, just calm your mind."

Elsa turned to face her mother as she walked up the steps and bent down next to her.

"I don't want to be here without you," she said. Her voice quivered a little, but she was otherwise composed.

"It won't be so bad, darling. It will be like going to a boarding school. You'll be able to come home for holidays, and we'll visit you as often as we can," she told her.

"How long will it take me to control it?" she asked, turning to me.

"It depends. To fully control your powers could take years, but you should show some improvement within a few weeks." I couldn't lie to her, it would take some time.

A panicked look crossed her face. _"Years?"_

"Elsa, I will do everything in my power to help you," I promised. "The question is, will you let me?"

She glanced back at her parents for a few moments, then turned back to me and nodded.

"We will be back in three weeks' time with her belongings and her private tutor," her father said. "I see no reason why he should stop teaching her. Is that acceptable?"

"Does he know about her powers?"

"He knows about Elsa's powers, but not that there are others like her out there," her mother explained.

I smiled. "Well, he'll certainly be in for a surprise." I turned and gave a nod towards Hank, who was quickly turning back to his normal form. "Might want to warn him about Hank as well."

When I turned my eyes back to Elsa's father, he was shooting daggers at Hank. "I assume he won't be a further threat to my daughter's safety."

"Hank? Oh, he's not dangerous," I said, waving a dismissive hand. The man turned and gave me an incredulous look.

"He attacked me, and wounded my daughter." He pointed to a white strip of cloth tied around her upper arm. Upon closer inspection I could see the tiniest hints of blood seeping through. I had mistaken it as a stripe on her coat.

"I didn't mean to hurt her. As for him," Hank glared back at the man, "He attacked first, and tried to barge in. I thought he might be a threat."

I gave my hands a clap. "Ah, see? Just a little misunderstanding. I can assure you it won't happen again."

Her father paused for a minute, but eventually gave a nod. "Well, we must be leaving now." He reached forward and gave my hand another shake. "Thank you again, Mr. Xavier. We can't express how grateful we are."

Elsa nodded and gave a curtsy. "Thank you, Mr. Xavier."

* * *

_Elsa_

**Three weeks later...**

I sat on my bed and looked around my room. It had always been plain, but now it looked like no one had ever lived in here, except for the lone bed pushed up against the wall. All my things were packed up in suitcases and were being loaded onto the ship for our trip tomorrow.

The past three weeks had been spent getting ready and convincing my tutor, Mr. Engebretsen, to come with me to Mr. Xavier's school. He was reluctant at first, but when my parents mentioned how grateful they would be, and how much more he would get paid, he quickly agreed. At least I would have someone familiar with me in America.

I wondered how Mr. Xavier would help me control my powers. Would he give me special gloves, or would he help me control my emotions better? I didn't really care, as long as I learned to control it. The sooner I learned, the sooner I could come home and not be afraid of hurting anyone.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door—three short raps. I instantly stiffened up. It had to be Anna, she was the only one who knocked like that.

"Elsa!" came her sing-song voice. "Can I come in? I just want to give you something before you leave tomorrow." I remained silent like I always did, and hoped she would eventually leave, like _she_ always did. Not this time. "Can you at least tell me why you're leaving? No one will tell me anything."

I wanted her to know so badly, but I couldn't tell her. At least, not yet. Maybe when I got back and could control my powers I could tell her. I would be safe then, so there would be nothing wrong with telling her.

"Elsa—" she began again, but was cut off by another voice.

"Anna, I have told you at least a dozen times not to bother your sister. She needs her rest." It was mama.

"I only wanted to give her Princess Marianne, so she could remember me when she goes to America." As if I could ever forget Anna.

"I'll give it to her when she wakes up, okay?"

"Why does she have to go to America? I want to know." Her voice was begging, and I knew mama would give in.

I heard her sigh. "Elsa is going to a special hospital in America where they'll be able to help her with her heart condition."

"Are they going to make her better?"

"We hope so."

"How long will she be gone?" Anna's voice was hopeful, but then again, it always is.

There was a pause. "We're not sure. It might be a…a few years."

"_Years?_" Anna's voice cried.

"It will take time for her to get better."

This time Anna paused. "Can I go to the hospital too?"

"No, dear, it's only for people with heart conditions, like Elsa."

"I wish I had a heart condition so I could go," I heard Anna grumble.

"Anna, that's a terrible thing to say! You shouldn't ever wish something like that!" I heard mama scold her, and at the same time, I felt like a dagger went through my heart. I wasn't sure if mama was just talking about the heart condition, or referring to my powers as well. I looked down at my hands, remembering the ice that came out of them. It was a terrible thing to be cursed with these powers, I always knew that, but to hear mama say it…

"Will she come home when she's better?"

"Yes, and then you two will be able to play."

I heard Anna cheer at that, and then everything became quiet. For a moment I thought maybe she had walked away, but then I heard her speak again. "Can I write her letters while she's at the hospital?"

I felt my eyes grow wide. We could write letters—of course! Why hadn't I thought of that before? There was no way she would get hurt then, and we would be able to talk to each other. I prayed mama would say yes, and they were answered a moment later when she agreed.

I heard Anna's footsteps run down the hall, and then there was another knock on my door. One soft rap. "Come in."

Mama appeared with Anna's doll in her hand. With two orange braided pigtails on either side of her head and a green dress, the doll resembled Anna. Princess Marianne. She must have my doll, Princess Elinor. They were named after the two sisters in the book mama read to us before bed when we still shared a room, _Sense and Sensibility_. Anna liked Marianne, while I liked Elinor. The dolls looked just like us, and the characters sounded just like me and Anna, so we named the dolls after them.

My doll was the same as hers in every way, except her hair was white, and her dress was blue. The dolls were a present for Christmas—the Christmas before the accident. When I moved out of my shared room with Anna I accidentally left Princess Elinor in the room. I thought about asking mama to get my doll back, but decided that Anna should have something to remember me by. Now Anna was giving me her doll. I ran my fingers over the orange yarn, and then the tiny plastic crown on her head. I had a doll that reminded me of Anna, and she had the doll that reminded her of me. At least we would have something of each other's while we were a thousand miles apart.

"Are you ready to go to Xavier's school tomorrow?" she asked, sitting down on my bed and patting the empty spot next to her. I nodded as I sat down, my eyes on the doll. "We'll visit you every three months, and you'll come home for Easter and Christmas."

At least I would be able to visit home twice a year.

* * *

When we arrived at Xavier's school it looked so different from the overgrown, unkempt grounds we saw only three weeks ago. The plaque was back in its place on the gate, and the sign that warned against trespassing was gone. Instead, the gates were open. The lawn was neatly trimmed, and the trees were cut back. The cracks in the fountain were repaired, and instead of being filled with grass, it was spraying out clear blue water.

"It's very charming," I heard Mr. Engebretsen say to papa. I turned around to see my tutor lugging two very big suitcases behind him. The rest of his luggage was in the truck we rented to transport our baggage. We had to rent a moving truck since all our stuff wouldn't fit in a taxi cab. When we knocked on the door Hank greeted us and led us in. The foyer was ice-free now and looked about the same as it did before I froze it. I turned around and saw the servants we brought along unloading the trunks we had brought in the taxi. Papa said the moving truck should be arriving today.

When I turned back around I saw Mr. Xavier walking down the stairs. He looked different than last time. He had shaved his beard and trimmed his hair. He was wearing a nice black suit instead of the casual clothes he had on last time. It made him look more like a professor.

"Welcome, Elsa," he said with a smile. I returned it and felt that same thrill from before return. I would finally learn to control my powers! Mr. Engebretsen walked up to Mr. Xavier and gave his hand a firm shake.

"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Xavier. I've heard a lot about you from the royal family. They tell me you will be teaching Elsa how to handle her condition."

The smile Mr. Xavier gave my tutor at that moment was tight and forced. "I will be teaching her to control her powers, yes." He turned to Hank. "Hank, please show our guest to his room."

Hank walked over to him and reached for his bags, but Mr. Engebretsen waved his hands away. "Oh, it's all right, lad, I can manage. I wouldn't want you to hurt your back."

I cracked a smile, remembering Hank's display of strength only three weeks ago, but then remembered that I didn't like him, and forced a more neutral expression on my face. Mr. Engebretsen called everyone younger than him 'lad' and fit my picture of a professor exactly: a tuft of white hair on his head, wrinkles, glasses, and old-fashioned clothes. Mr. Xavier, on the other hand, looked completely different. He dressed like a professor, but he certainly didn't look old enough to be one, and he was missing the glasses. For a moment I wondered how old he was, but my line of thought was interrupted when he walked over to me and smiled.

"Hank and I got you a present to welcome you."

I felt my eyes widen. "A present? What is it?"

He nodded towards the stairs. "Come and see. It's in your room."

He led me up a couple flights of stairs with my parents following closely behind. When we arrived at the end of a passageway he opened a door to my left and I looked inside. It was much smaller than my room back at home, but it would do. There was a plain bed pressed against one wall, and a night table next to it. On top of it was some sort of red, rectangular shaped object with knobs and a big red bow tied around it. That must be my present.

I walked over and began inspecting it. In the middle was a smaller, silver rectangle with small holes in it, and at the top was a thin metal rod sticking straight up. Near the top was a thin strip with numbers running along it. I began messing with the knobs. Suddenly a static, hissing sound filled the air, and I began frantically turning the knobs to try and stop the noise. A hand reached around me and turned the knobs, and music suddenly filled the room.

_"__When a man loves a woman, can't keep his mind on nothing else…"_ Suddenly, it clicked.

"A radio!" I exclaimed, turning to see Mr. Xavier standing behind me. He nodded. I had heard of them, but never actually owned one. "Thank you, Mr. Xavier."

"You're welcome."

* * *

Mama gave me a smile. "Now you listen to Mr. Xavier just as you would listen to us, do you understand?"

I gave a nod. "Yes, mama."

The sun was just peeking over the treetops. Mama and papa had decided to spend the night since the moving truck arrived late. We had spent half the night unpacking and getting everything settled in my room. Mr. Engebretsen had finally broken down and accepted Hank's offer to help him carry his luggage to his room. After we finished unpacking we went downstairs and ate the dinner that Hank had prepared, lasagna. It had been so long since I had something to eat besides fish—cooked in a variety of ways, of course.

Now it was time for them to leave, but my parents promised to come and visit in three months—just in time for my birthday in July. I wanted to hug them, knowing I wouldn't see them for a long time, but was still afraid I might hurt them, so I curtsied instead, and they returned the gesture.

As soon as they left the whole place felt empty, but I remembered Mr. Engebretsen was here with me. I turned around to look at Mr. Xavier.

"I have been instructed by your tutor and your parents not to give you chocolate." I felt a frown cross my lips. Why was he telling me this? His serious expression suddenly turned into a grin. "Would you like to go and get some?" He gave a nod towards the kitchen. I returned his smile.

Maybe it wouldn't be so bad here.


	4. Learning Problems

Chapter Four – Learning Problems

Anna and I weren't allowed to have chocolate at home, even before the incident, because our parents said it made us hyper, so when I found two chocolate bars in the cupboard, I instantly tore the wrapping off one and took a big bite. Even my tutor was instructed not to give me chocolate. Mr. Xavier was perhaps my favorite person in the world right now. I had just finished the first chocolate bar when I heard the door to the kitchen squeak open. I shoved the other chocolate bar in my pocket and turned to see Hank walk in. I frowned at him when he took one look at me and let out a chuckle.

"You have some chocolate right here," he said, brushing a finger over his lips. I dropped my gaze and swiped a hand across my mouth. When I saw the chocolate smeared on my fingers I wiped it on my skirt. When I finally turned my gaze back to Hank he stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Look, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry that I hurt you a few weeks ago. It was an accident and I hope we can move past it."

I crossed my arms. "Fine."

"Despite what it must have looked like when you first came, I'm glad you're here, Elsa. Charles has isolated himself for far too long. I believe you can help him just as much as he can help you."

I felt something stir deep within me. Of course I would do all I could to help Mr. Xavier. He was going to help me learn to control my powers. If I could do anything for him, I would. I gave a nod of agreement. We stood there staring at each other for a few moments, until he finally looked away. "Okay…well, that's all I wanted to say."

I watched as he walked away. I agreed with him, and I could even forgive him for hurting me, but not my papa. He had tried to kill my papa, and nothing could change my opinion of him. Suddenly the door squeaked open again and I thought for a moment it was Hank again, but Mr. Engebretsen walked in and smiled at me.

"Ready for your lessons?" he asked, not giving me a chance to respond before leading the way to his classroom upstairs. He had been given the room especially for our lessons by Mr. Xavier. He sat down at the great oak desk he brought with him from Norway and I took my seat in front of my small one. Adjusting his glasses, he opened the old algebra book in front of him.

"All right, take out your notebook," he said as he turned around and picked up a piece of chalk. He started to write notes down as he spoke, never once slowing down while I struggled to keep up. When we got to the end of the lesson I raised my hand to ask a question. He always hated it when I interrupted his lessons to ask a question.

"Yes, Elsa?" he asked, placing the chalk on the ledge of the board.

"Um, near the middle you said…" I paused to flip back through the pages of my notes, "That I have to divide to solve for x, but I don't understand where some of these numbers come from…" I turned my notebook around and pointed at the numbers that had seemingly popped in out of nowhere.

Mr. Engebretsen let out a barely tolerant sigh and turned back to the board. "Honestly, Elsa, you need to pay more attention. Do I always have to explain everything five times before you get it?"

I felt my face heat up. I never asked him to explain anything five times, but if I asked once, it was always like this. I should be able to understand it, I knew that. Mr. Engebretsen said all his other students understood it after only explaining it once, so why couldn't I?

I tried to pay attention while Mr. Engebretsen talked, but I still didn't understand where the numbers had come from. Asking him to slow down or explain again would only make him more irritated, so I kept my mouth closed. When he was done he turned to me.

"Do you understand now?"

_No_, I thought to myself, but knew that if I said that, he'd be angry with me. "Yes. Thank you for explaining it again."

He gave a nod and walked over to his desk, shifting through a stack of papers. Finally he pulled five pages out and handed them to me. "This is your math homework. Complete it by tomorrow morning. Now, please clear off your desk and take out a pencil."

I did as he said and sat up straighter. I knew there was supposed to be a biology test today, but with all the moving and unpacking I'd completely forgotten to study. As he handed me the test and I stared down at the questions I knew I didn't know the answers to, I could only hope a hole would open up beneath me and swallow me whole.

* * *

I scanned my algebra book for answers or explanations on how to solve the problems in my homework, but there was nothing. I let out a huff and shoved the book off my desk in frustration, letting it fall to the floor with a thud.

Suddenly there was a knock on my door, and I jumped out of my chair. "Who is it?"

"Mr. Xavier."

"Come in."

The door opened and Mr. Xavier walked in wearing a ridiculous yellow and blue suit that made him look like he'd just escaped from prison. The top was yellow with black stripes that reminded me of a bumblebee, while the tight pants were blue with strips of leather around the knees. Despite how silly it seemed, he looked sharp in the strange clothes. Much less like a professor.

"What is that?" I asked with a smile, pointing at his funny looking clothes.

"Oh, this is a suit that can withstand ice and freezing cold temperatures." He smiled back at me. "You won't have to worry about hurting me while we're training."

A suit that could withstand ice? Maybe _that_ would control my powers! Why hadn't anyone thought of that before? The gloves may not have held my powers in, but surely this suit could.

"Are you ready for your training lesson?" he asked, walking over to me and holding out a hand. I felt myself jerk back as a reflex, but then remembered that his suit would protect him. At least, it should. He said it would, but as I stared at his outstretched hand, I imagined all the things that could go wrong and started to doubt. Papa told me I could learn to control my powers. He told me the gloves would conceal them. None of those things turned out true. What if Mr. Xavier was wrong?

"Elsa, you have to trust me."

When I looked into his kind, open eyes my doubts slowly started to disappear, one by one. I reached a tentative hand out towards his, letting our fingers brush together for a second, just to make sure nothing would happen. After a couple seconds without incident I reached forward and let him hold my hand. As I wrapped my fingers around his gloved hand, I saw that nothing was happening. His hand didn't freeze, he didn't turn to ice, and he wasn't hurt by my powers. It was the first time I touched someone without worrying that I might hurt them; I had to admit, it felt amazing. I let out a laugh of happiness as he pulled me from my room and led me down a flight of stairs to the basement.

When he opened a huge metal door I sucked in a deep breath. I followed him inside a metal room with faint burn marks all along the walls. It wasn't very big, and at the far end of the room was a mannequin set up with a black X taped to its chest.

"All right, I just want you to try to hit that target right there."

All of the glee and excitement at the small accomplishment of holding his hand suddenly vanished and I pulled away. I felt fear seize my body, freezing me in place. Finally, I turned to look at him in shock. "You want me to...to use my powers?"

He looked confused by my question. "Of course."

I shook my head. "But you're supposed to help me learn to control them."

"That's what I'm doing. You can't control something you don't know how to use."

"But...I'm not supposed to use them."

He furrowed his eyebrows in thought. "What have you been doing before this?"

"Hiding it. My parents say, _'Conceal it, don't feel it. Don't let it show'_."

He shook his head. "That's why you can't control it—because _it_ controls _you_. That's why you're here." He turned and gestured to the mannequin. "That's why we're doing this."

"I don't know if I can." I looked down at my hands. So small and seemingly harmless, yet so dangerous and deadly.

"All I want you to do is try," he said, bending down to my level. "I saw what you did to the foyer when you first came here. You have such extraordinary powers, Elsa, and I can teach you how to control them, you just have to trust me."

It had been so long since I trusted anyone. My parents told me there were only two types of people in the world: those who would fear me because of my powers, and those who would want to control me because of my powers. They had never mentioned there would be someone who would want to help me.

I raised both hands and aimed them at the mannequin. The power welled up inside, bubbling up like water from a fountain. My hands shook as I concentrated and shot a blast of ice at the target. I felt a familiar sense of failure when the bolt of ice missed and froze the wall behind the mannequin. I let out a groan and crossed my arms.

"See? I can't do it."

"Elsa, you have a younger sister, correct?" he asked.

I nodded. "Yes."

"Do you remember when she first started to learn how to walk?" I thought back, and finally nodded. I had been only five at the time, but I had bits of memories of mama and papa encouraging her to walk as they held on to her hands. "Did she succeed her first time?"

I frowned, seeing where this was headed. "No."

"And why do you think that is?"

"Because she didn't know how."

"Exactly. She needed to practice and learn how to control the muscles in her legs before she could walk." Charles reached forward and pointed at my hands. "Your powers are like any other muscle in your body: you can learn to control it, you just need to practice."

I looked down at the ground. It made sense, but he didn't understand how hard it was. If I failed, there were worse consequences than just falling down. People could get hurt. People might die if I failed.

"It's not that simple," I said.

"You know, I once knew a man who couldn't fully master his powers, and I'm going to tell you the same thing I told him—I believe that true focus lies somewhere between rage and serenity. It's not about covering up your powers or trying to control them with emotions. It's about finding a balance. There is so much more to life than pain and loneliness."

I thought about his words—the balance between rage and serenity. So…love? Turning to him, I asked, "Love is the answer?"

He smiled and gave a nod. "Access the happiest memory you can find and let it fill you."

I raised my hands and closed my eyes, thinking back to the few happy memories I had. Suddenly, one came to me—a time when my powers were just developing and I didn't fear them. Papa, mama, Anna, and I went to the mountains and found a grassy hillside to have a picnic. The servants had packed it that morning, and we had the whole day free from the duties and rules of royal life. After the picnic Anna begged me to use my magic, so I covered the hillside with a light dusting of snow. Anna and I found a long piece of bark and we slid down the hill on our makeshift sled. Eventually mama and papa joined us sledding, and afterwards we all built a snowman together.

I concentrated on the moment where we all lay in the snow after falling off the sled. Mama's hair had come out of its usually neat bun and was a mess around her face, but she was laughing. Papa's cheeks were red from both the cold and his laughing as he scooped up a snowball and threw it at mama. Anna had laid there in the snow, giggling at our parents antics with a sparkle in her eyes. In that moment, I was the happiest I can ever remember and I was filled with such a love for my family.

I could feel my powers buzzing within me, but this time it was different. The powers felt controlled, like a wild dog that had been tamed. I let out a laugh at the newfound control and opened my eyes, releasing a bolt of ice at the mannequin. This time, I decapitated the head. Still, I felt a small sense of accomplishment that I'd actually managed to hit the target, even if I'd missed the mark.

"I did it!" I whispered, a smile blooming across my face.

"You're almost there," Mr. Xavier. My smile slipped away, remembering how Mr. Engebretsen always expected precision and perfection in everything. I would make Mr. Xavier proud of me. I wouldn't let him down like I sometimes did with Mr. Engebretsen.

"I'm sorry," I mumbled. "I'll get it right this time."

"Just do your best," Mr. Xavier said, but I knew he was secretly thinking what Mr. Engebretsen always said. He had to be. I could already imagine the disappointed look on Mr. Xavier's face when I failed.

"I have an idea," he said when I didn't move. My eyes widened when he stepped forward and walked over to the mannequin, standing right beside it.

"What are you doing?" I asked, a quiver in my voice. I could hear the slight cracking of ice as it froze the ground around my feet.

"I'm giving you an extra incentive not to miss," he said with a smile.

I shook my head. "No, I can't. I might hurt you."

"Don't worry, Elsa. I trust you."

Looking into his eyes, I could see he was telling the truth…but that didn't mean he was right. My hand began to shake and the happy memory slowly faded away. I could feel my powers slipping out of my control, like water through my fingers. _Think happy thoughts!_ I told myself, but they were just out of my reach. Fear held me in its icy grip. I bit down on my lip and shot out a blast of ice…straight towards Mr. Xavier.

He ducked just in time to avoid the blast, the blue energy hitting the wall where his head had been only half a second before. A memory flashed across my mind—my deadly beam of ice striking Anna's head. Her crumpled body lying on the floor, ice cold. I let out a cry and yanked my hands away, holding them close to my chest.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" I cried, bringing my hands up to my face.

Mr. Xavier straightened himself and held out his hands. "It's all right, Elsa. I'm fine."

"I could have killed you!" I cried, balling my hands into fists. "You could have died because of _me_!"

Snow started whipping around me. Mr. Xavier took a step forward. "Elsa, just calm your mind."

When he took another two steps, I jerked back. "No, don't come any closer!"

"Elsa, you won't hurt me."

I held out a hand, to warn him to stay away, but a bolt of ice shot out instead, freezing the floor beneath him. Mr. Xavier jumped back just in time but lost his balance, his feet sliding out from under him. He slipped and there was a sickening crack as his head hit the ice. Then silence. My heart froze for a split second as I waited for Mr. Xavier to move. The wind and snow stopped, and I held my breath.

"Mr. Xavier?" I called out weakly when he didn't move. My legs shook, threatening to give out at any moment, as I took a step forward. "Are you all right?"

When I came closer I noticed a small pool of bright red liquid seeping out from under his head. My hands flew to my mouth and I held back a scream. The blood spread out and I could feel the whole room crack as ice covered it. I turned and ran screaming for Hank. He must have heard my cries, because he came rushing downstairs. When he saw my tear-streaked face his eyes widened.

"What's wrong?"

I pointed to the stairs leading down to the training room. "Mr. Xavier slipped and hit his head and now he's bleeding!" A sob escaped my throat and I curled my hands into fists, bringing them up to my eyes. "It's all my fault!"

Hank ran down the stairs and I followed, watching from the door as he bent down next to Mr. Xavier. Mr. Engebretsen suddenly appeared next to my in the doorway.

"What is going on down here? I could hear yelling all the way up in my study…" His voice trailed off when his eyes landed on Mr. Xavier lying on the ground, a pool of blood around his head. He walked over and knelt down next to him.

"Help me move him to his room," Hank said, grabbing Mr. Xavier under his arms while supporting his head. Mr. Engebretsen nodded and let out a grunt as he grabbed his feet and stood.

"What can I do?" I asked as they carried Mr. Xavier's body out of the room.

"Go get some clean gauze from—" Hank stared to say, but Mr. Engebretsen interrupted with a sharp look.

"I think you've done more than enough today, Elsa," he said, his voice clipped. When I met his eyes I could see the disapproving look in them, mixed with anger. I looked down at Mr. Xavier's body between them. His face was pale, and blood seeped out from the back of his head, already soaking though the jacket Hank had put under it. His body hung limp and lifeless. I was a monster.

I could feel tears slipping down my cheeks as I turned and ran all the way up to my room, closing the door behind me and locking it. Mr. Engebretsen was right, I'd caused more than enough damage for today. No matter what I did, or how hard I tried, all I ever ended up doing was hurting people or letting them down. Well, I wouldn't hurt anyone anymore. I'd stay locked up in my room—just like in the castle. At least in here I couldn't hurt anyone.

* * *

Later on, about an hour after the accident, there was a knock on my door. I sat with my back against the door, knees drawn to my chest and my face buried in my knees.

"Elsa?" It was Hank's voice. "I just came to tell you that Charles is fine. It was just a small wound, nothing too alarming."

"It could have been worse," I said, raising my head.

"But it wasn't."

I didn't have an answer. Why was he trying to excuse what happened? Only Mr. Engebretsen seemed to understand the severity of the situation. I deserved to be yelled at. Yes, nothing had happened, but what if it had? I couldn't afford to make mistakes, that's what Mr. Engebretsen always told me. He said it in reference to not only my studies, but my powers as well.

"Elsa?" Hank asked when I didn't respond.

"Go away, Hank!" I snapped, dropping my head back into knees. There was silence for a few moments, but finally I heard the rustle of clothes, and then his footsteps receding down the hall.

The silence didn't last long. Half an hour later I heard footsteps walking down the hall. My room was at the end of the hall, so I knew it must be Hank or Mr. Engebretsen when they came to a halt outside my door. The doorknob gave a jiggle as the person outside tried to open the locked door.

"Elsa, please unlock the door." I was surprised to hear Mr. Xavier's voice outside my room.

"Mr. Xavier?" I asked, the surprise clear in my voice.

"Yes, it's me. Will you please let me in?"

I sniffled, wiping away the tears that had dried on my cheeks. "I can't. I don't want to hurt you."

"I know you wouldn't hurt me." When I didn't answer I heard him sit down outside my door. "Elsa, what happened today wasn't your fault. You weren't ready and I pushed you. If there's anyone to blame, it's me."

I felt my hands curl into fists. At the small gesture snow began falling in my room. "No, stop it! Stop trying to make me feel better! I shot the blast of ice, not you. This was _my_ fault."

"No, you told me you weren't comfortable with me standing next to the target. I should have listened. I just…you're different than the others mutants I've trained in the past. I could push them to their limits, but you've been sheltered your whole life. I keep forgetting you're still so young. Most mutant's powers don't even show up until they start puberty. It's a rare thing for a mutant to have their powers show up as a child." I didn't answer him, so he went on. "I was like you, Elsa. My powers came in when I was nine."

"What powers?" I asked quietly. The snow stopped falling around me and settled on the floor.

"I started hearing voices in my head, and at first I thought I was going crazy. I felt so isolated and scared because I didn't understand what was happening to me. There was no one to tell me what I was, or to help me control my powers. It wasn't until I was twelve that I realized there must be others like me out there—other mutants with powers."

"So, you can hear people's thoughts?"

"Yes, among other things."

"Why can't you do that anymore?"

I heard him draw in a breath. "It's…it's complicated. Let's just say that I lost my powers."

"You're lucky."

He let out a soft sigh. "Elsa, I can help you control your powers. I taught myself to control mine, and I can teach you to control yours as well."

"You don't understand. Your powers didn't hurt people. All I _ever_ do is hurt the people I care about—Anna, mama, papa, and now you." Ice spread out beneath me, creeping across my room. Swiping a hand across my eyes, I gathered my senses. "None of this matters. In the end, I'm just a ticking time bomb, and when I blow up, I only hope that no one else is hurt because of me."

"You only think that because you can't control it, but you will. You just have to keep trying."

I let out a cry of frustration, and felt the ice spread further. "Why don't you get it? You gave me the answer—love and joy. For the first time I felt control! But I couldn't even do _that_ right!"

"Love and joy isn't the only answer. Emotion is how you channel your powers, but bending it to your will takes lots and lots of practice. I don't expect you to get it right the first time."

I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion, because for a minute, it sounded like he was telling the truth. Why didn't he expect excellence and perfection? That's what everyone expected of me, so why not Mr. Xavier? "You…you don't?"

He let out a small laugh. "No, of course not. You'll make mistakes—lots of them. You've been compressing it all these years, so of course it will be weak, but you will get strong if you continue to practice, I can promise you that."

I wanted to trust him. I wanted to surrender all the fears and doubts that had been plaguing me the past five years, but it was all too much.

"I…I want to trust you." I swallowed a lump in my throat. "But I'm scared."

"It's all right to be scared, but you can't let it stop you."

I wiped away the remaining tears and turned, reaching up to unlock the door. I scooted back and pulled the door open. It was the first time I'd opened the door—the first time I let someone in. Mr. Xavier was sitting on the ground like me, still wearing the blue and yellow suit from before. I felt a pang of guilt when I saw the white bandage wrapped around his head. When our eyes met, he smiled, showing me that he wasn't mad at me for what I'd done. I crawled forward and wrapped my arms around him, knowing the suit would protect him from any of my ice. There was no hesitation when he wrapped an arm around me in comfort, then ran a gloved hand over my hair, smoothing it down.

"Everything will be all right, Elsa."

* * *

**I know this chapter was a long time in coming, so thank you for your patience with this.**

**To answer the anonymous reviewer who asked if there will be any ships: yes, there will, but not for several more chapters. Elsa's only thirteen, but this story will cover her life until she's 21, and then go into events past the point where the movie**_ Frozen_ **left off. I won't tell you what the pairings will be though, you'll just have to wait and see. ;)**


	5. A Difference In Teaching

Chapter Five – A Difference In Teaching

"Mr. Xavier…you said you trained other mutants before me. Why aren't they here anymore?" I asked when I finally pulled away.

"After just one semester most of the students and teachers were drafted into the war. It was just me and Hank after that."

At this a frown pulled at his lips, and even though he lowered his gaze to the ground, I could see the pain in his eyes—it was the same look I had in mine for the past five years. During those years when I was shut away in my room, I'd look in the mirror and see it—the sting of loneliness, the anguish of being separated from someone I loved. The only way I was able to bear it was by reminding myself that Anna was better off without me—she was safe. When I looked at Mr. Xavier, I saw that pain reflected right back at me. I didn't like seeing him in pain, but there was so much I still wanted to know. There were others like me out there…and I had to know more.

"Who were the other mutants? What were their powers?"

The pained look in Mr. Xavier's eyes faded, and he smiled. "Why don't we go into my office, then I'll tell you. Sitting on the ground is making my legs a little sore."

"Oh. Of course," I said, jumping up. Mr. Xavier stood more slowly, and led me into his office. He took a seat in the big chair behind an oak desk. I looked around his office and noticed a picture of a girl with blonde hair sitting on a table nearby. Just as I was about to ask him about it, he began to talk.

"It began when I was twelve and I met Raven—a fellow mutant." I turned my attention away from the photo and back to him, sitting down on the chair in front of his desk. "We grew up together, but it wasn't until years later that we discovered others like us. We gained two more members—all of us brought together by a woman who discovered that another mutant was trying to start a nuclear war. From there we started recruiting. We gained four more members, but by the time we went to fight Shaw, there were only six of us left."

I quickly did the math in my head, then furrowed my eyebrows. "What happened to the other two?"

"Darwin was killed by Shaw, and Angel joined his team."

"And Shaw was the mutant trying to start a war?"

"Yes. He believed humans were inferior and wanted to start a nuclear war so that they would be wiped out and only the mutants would be left." He gave me a wry smile. "I assume you heard about the Cuban missile crisis a few years ago?"

My eyes widened. As a princess, I always had to keep myself informed on current topics around the world. Even though I was only nine at the time, I could remember the basic gist of what happened. After all, there was almost a nuclear war. "How were you involved in that?"

"My team fought against Shaw's team. We even gave ourselves a name—the X-Men." Mr. Xavier let out a small chuckle. "We had codenames and everything. And in the end we were able to stop him and prevent the war."

I bit down on my lip in excitement. "Does that mean _I'm_ an X-Men too? Do I get a codename?"

Mr. Xavier let out a laugh. "If you want one."

"I want to be…" I thought about a name that would suit my powers. "I want to be the Snow Princess!"

"Fair enough, but I'm still going to call you Elsa."

I laughed. "All right, fine. So what was your codename?"

He made a face. "I was Professor X." I opened my mouth to comment, but he held up a hand. "But please don't call me that. I don't particularly like it."

"Fine. So, who were the mutants on your team? What powers did they have?"

"There was Hank and I, but you already know our powers. Then there was Raven, my sister. She had the power to change her form into any person she wanted."

My mouth opened in surprise. "That sounds amazing!"

Mr. Xavier smiled. "Yes, she was extraordinary."

"But where is she now? She's not fighting in the war, is she?" In Arendelle women weren't allowed to be drafted into wars, and they weren't allowed to fight in combat. I assumed the United States was like us, but maybe I was wrong.

Mr. Xavier's smile faded. "No, she…I don't know where she is now. But she left, just like the rest of them. Sooner or later everyone leaves."

"I haven't," I said, trying to cheer him up. He looked up at me and I gave him a smile. "And I won't leave."

He tried to return the smile, but it was forced this time. "Thank you for that, Elsa, but you _will _have to go back to your family someday."

I realized this, and knew I couldn't argue with it. After all, this whole training and learning experience was all so I could finally go home and not be a threat to those I loved. What would happen to Mr. Xavier after that? I didn't want him to be alone. Hank told me he'd been alone for too long, so after all he was going to do to help me, how could I leave him?

"What about the other mutants?" I asked, changing the subject.

"After that there was Erik." As he mentioned the last name, Mr. Xavier's expression changed slightly. A brief flash of hurt crossed his face, but before I could ponder on it he continued. "He was able to control metal." This sparked my interest even further. I hadn't heard of anyone until now that could control a substance like me. Before Mr. Xavier could continue, I interrupted.

"What was Erik like?"

Mr. Xavier's eyes became clouded and dark. "The only thing you need to know about that man is that he's a monster."

My whole body stiffened at that word. "Like me."

Mr. Xavier's blue eyes snapped up to meet mine, and I could see the fire in them—the anger and pain. I was shocked at this sudden burst of emotion, but I could tell it wasn't directed at me—not fully. The look in them was so intense that I instantly dropped my gaze to the floor. "Don't you ever say that, Elsa. You are _nothing_ like him."

"What did he do?" I asked. He had told me absolutely nothing about Erik beyond what his powers were. He also said that Erik fought on his team against Shaw, so what was it that made him a monster? What could Erik have done to make Mr. Xavier so angry?

"He took her away and abandoned me. I lost _everything_ because of him."

"Who did he take away?" I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion.

"Raven."

There was a long silence that followed, where I didn't know what to say. Mr. Xavier sat rigid as a board in his chair, staring out the window at the grounds below.

"Where is he now?" I finally asked.

"Where he belongs."

After that Mr. Xavier refused to say any more on the subject. He spent the rest of the day telling me about the other mutants he had encountered. I enjoyed hearing about others who held such amazing powers—some like mine and some very different, but my mind kept going back to Erik.

Why did Mr. Xavier refuse to talk about him? What made him a monster?

* * *

I lightly drummed my pencil against my notebook as Mr. Engebretsen continued to talk and write math equations on the chalkboard. I had stopped writing notes for the past ten minutes. Not only was Mr. Engebretsen going too fast, but today's lessons were built on the lesson he taught yesterday. Since I didn't understand that, I didn't understand today's lesson. He finally stopped talking and placed the piece of chalk on the board's ledge. I immediately spun my pencil around and acted like I had been taking notes the entire time. Mr. Engebretsen seemed convinced, because he brushed his hands together, dusting the chalk off them, before taking a step forward.

"Please turn in yesterday's homework."

As soon as the words left Mr. Engebretsen's mouth I realized that with all that had happened yesterday, I totally forgot to do my homework. I felt a brief shock of panic, and the pencil in my hand iced over completely. As I looked down at the untouched math papers I'd absentmindedly shoved in my folder this morning, I slowly relaxed. It's not like I was going to get it done anyway. I didn't know how to do the problems, so it didn't matter that I'd completely forgotten, because I never would have finished it.

"Elsa, we don't have all day," Mr. Engebretsen said when I didn't move. He walked over to my desk and held out a hand. Reaching into my folder, I pulled the blank pages out and handed them over to him. When he glanced over the work, his eyes narrowed and he drew his mouth into a fine line.

After a moment or two of silence he turned his sharp gaze to me. "And may I ask why you haven't completed your homework?"

"I didn't know how."

"Well, you certainly seemed to understand it yesterday after I explained it to you…twice, I might add! You should be quite the expert by now." I crossed my arms and looked away from his scowling face. "I am going to have a word with Mr. Xavier about this young lady, and you can bet your parents are going to hear about this when they visit!"

I felt my eyes water at the thought of Mr. Xavier and my parents looking at me with disappointment in their eyes. Mr. Xavier might be able to convince himself that the ice accident was his fault, but this was entirely mine. There was no one else to blame but myself. Mr. Engebretsen turned sharply and walked back over to his desk, pulling out another stack of papers. He stapled them to the unfinished homework, then slapped it onto my desk.

"I expect this to be done by tomorrow morning. If it's not, there will be serious consequences, young lady. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir," I said quietly, glaring at him. He narrowed his gaze in response before walking over to his desk, picking up a paper I recognized as the biology test I took yesterday. On the front was a big 'D' marked in red.

"I was very disappointed with your test results, Elsa," he said, handing the paper over to me. I didn't even need to look at the paper to know which questions I got wrong. I didn't know a lot of them, and Mr. Engebretsen was never one for easy test. There was no multiple choice, there was only a blank line to write the answer. I knew I wouldn't get a good grade on it.

"I don't know what has caused this recent slacking off, but I will not tolerate it." He walked back over to his desk and sat down in his chair. "You will spend your biology period writing down the terms and definitions in the back of your book so you will remember them next time."

I pulled out the notebook and turned to a fresh page, then began copying the words and their definitions in the glossary. After Biology was over I put my notebook away and stretched out my aching fingers. Mr. Engebretsen didn't give me much of a break, though. Literature was right after Biology, and today Mr. Engebretsen was going to assign me a book to read. Before we left for America I'd just finished my paper on _Les Misérable_. As I expected, Mr. Engebretsen reached into his desk and pulled out a thick bound volume before standing. The huge book landed with a dull thud when he placed it onto my desk.

"Your next assignment is _War and Peace _and it will be your last writing assignment for the school year. You have six weeks to read it and write a report on its themes and topics. The essay is to be no less than fifty pages, and your bibliography must be properly formatted in APA style. You may begin reading."

Opening the worn copy, I briefly flipped to the last pages to check the numbers on them. I paled when I saw that the book was over 1,000 pages. It was only slightly longer than _Anna Karenina_, which I read last year. Flipping back to the first page, I began to read.

* * *

I stared at the blank pages in front of me. The numbers from the math problems started to swim together, swirling into an incomprehensible mess. I let out a sigh and leaned over, bringing my arms up to form a pillow for my head. There was no way I would be able to complete this by tomorrow, and I knew Mr. Engebretsen was serious about his threat. I could only imagine what consequences he would give me when I handed him the blank pages tomorrow.

Suddenly there was a knock on my door. I shot up from my desk and smoothed my hair down before standing. "Who is it?"

"Mr. Xavier."

I glanced at the clock on my wall in confusion. It was two o'clock, and our lessons didn't begin until four. What was he doing here so early? My heart stalled a bit when I realized Mr. Engebretsen might have told him that I didn't complete my homework. He must be here to chastise me—to tell me how disappointed he was in me.

"Come in."

The door swung open and he walked in wearing his yellow suit. As he stepped into the room he looked over at the math homework on my desk. "Doing your homework?"

I crossed my arms, trying to steel myself for his reaction. "No."

"Why?" he asked, walking over to me.

I looked away when I answered, unable to meet his gaze. "Because I don't know how."

"Did you ask your tutor to explain it to you?"

My voice was quiet when I answered. "Yes."

I finally looked up to see a slightly confused look on his face. "Then what's the problem here?"

"I still don't get it."

"Did you tell your tutor that?"

I looked away again. "No."

"Why?"

"Because he doesn't like it when I ask him to explain things more than once."

"I'm sure he would be glad to explain it however many times it takes."

I wanted to correct Mr. Xavier, but I didn't want to argue with him. What did he know about Mr. Engebretsen? He'd only known him for a day or two, while I'd known him ever since I was five, when he was hired to teach me. He expected perfection and excellence out of me—nothing less. If I didn't learn something the first time, it was my own fault. Why did Mr. Xavier expect anything different?

"Well, I'm here now. How about I help you with it?" I slowly walked over to the desk and sat down in my chair. Mr. Xavier leaned over and looked down at the problems. "All right, let's take this problem as an example." He pointed to the first math equation on the sheet. "Hand me your pencil and I'll show you how to solve for x."

He did the problem, slowly explaining the different steps. I did my best to pay attention, but I was still confused when he finished. He seemed to pull numbers out of nowhere and put them into the equation.

"Do you understand now?" Mr. Xavier asked, turning his eyes to me. I instantly nodded. He smiled and handed me the pencil. "Great. Now let me see you do the next one."

My whole body stiffened when he handed me the pencil. I slowly took it, trying to buy myself time—as if the heavens would part and the knowledge would appear in front of me if I waited long enough. Turning the lead tip towards the paper, I scanned over the numbers, trying to make sense of them. I only got through step one before I stopped, not sure how to proceed.

Mr. Xavier must have realized I didn't know how to do the problems, because when I looked up at him he frowned. "You don't understand, do you?"

I shook my head, looking back down at the desk. "Elsa, if you don't understand you need to say so." When I didn't reply he took the pencil and went back to the first problem. "Where did you get lost?"

I pointed to the part that confused me. "Everything after here. I don't get it. Where do these numbers come from?"

Mr. Xavier went through the problem again, explaining everything. When he got to the end, I was still confused. I bit down on my lip. I didn't want him to think I was stupid, but what else could it be when he'd explained it twice already and I _still_ didn't get it?

"Does it make sense now?"

I wanted to say yes, but then he'd ask me to do the next problem, and I wouldn't be able to. But if I said no, he'd get mad like Mr. Engebretsen did. He may have more patience than my tutor, but surely it was wearing thin by now. Mr. Xavier seemed to get his answer when he looked into my upset eyes.

"All right, let me try explaining it a different way."

Mr. Xavier took my pencil and started writing down the first problem, but this time he did the problem differently. It wasn't until he finished that I realized I understood it—it made sense.

"Do you understand it now?" he asked. I looked up at him with a smile and nodded. "All right, now let's see you do the next problem."

I picked up the pencil and used the method he just taught me. When I got through the problem I still wasn't too sure I'd done it right, so I turned to Mr. Xavier with a nervous expression on my face. "Is it right?"

He briefly scanned over my work, then smiled. "Yes. Everything is correct."

Mr. Xavier pulled up a chair and sat there until I finished my homework. He answered any questions I had, and didn't get mad when I didn't understand a couple of the problems. When the sheets were done I shoved them in my folder with a smile on my face—glad to finally have it done with.

"Your teacher said you failed your biology test. Do you need any help in that area?"

"No. I understand it." I looked into his eyes. "I just…it's no excuse, but with the moving and everything I forgot to study."

Mr. Xavier nodded. "I see. Are there any other subjects you're having trouble with?"

I was confused by all this attention. Why was Mr. Xavier doing this? Shouldn't he be chastising me and telling me he expected better? Shouldn't he be pushing me to do my best? Then again, I _was_ doing better in math now. He had also offered to help me with any of my other subjects—to help me improve. Mr. Engebretsen pushed me beyond my limits and helped me achieve excellence, but Mr. Xavier was doing that too—in a different way. Could both methods really work? I was taught not to make mistakes, but Mr. Xavier didn't seem to mind them—he seemed to encourage them.

I finally turned my gaze back to his and realized he was waiting for an answer. "No. Well…have you ever read _War and Peace_?"

"Yes. I read it in my freshman year of college. It's a good book, albeit very long. Are you thinking about reading it?"

"Mr. Engebretsen assigned it to me. I have to read it and write a fifty page report on its themes. I was just wondering if it was interesting. I didn't really like _Anna Karenina_."

Mr. Xavier raised both eyebrows. "Fifty pages? That's as long as a college thesis." When I didn't reply he stood and moved the chair back to the place it had been. He turned to look at something, and I followed his gaze to the clock. It was three-thirty. "Our class will begin in half an hour, but for now I have to go and take care of a few things. Why don't you get started on your reading?"

"Okay." I turned my attention back to the book and picked up where I left off in literature class.

* * *

I closed my door behind me and walked down the hall. It was five past four, and Mr. Xavier hadn't come back to collect me for our class. Maybe he wanted me to meet him in the training room. Mr. Engebretsen always came to retrieve me each morning for my lessons, but I was learning that Mr. Xavier was very different from my tutor. As I walked past Mr. Engebretsen's classroom I heard Mr. Xavier's voice coming from inside. I couldn't hear exactly what was being said, so I crept closer to the door and pressed my ear next to the small opening.

"_War and Peace_ is a classic! It's one of the finest novels ever written!"

"That may be so, but I think it's a bit too much for a thirteen year old, and I highly doubt Elsa be able to finish it _and_ write a fifty page essay in two months. I would suggest saving that novel until she enters twelfth grade, and you might think about giving her more time to read it and write a report."

"And what would you _suggest_ I have her read in the meantime? Children's books?"

"No, maybe other classics, like _Pride and Prejudice_, or _Jane Eyre_."

Mr. Engebretsen let out a huff. "She read all of Jane Austen's works in fifth grade, and _Jane Eyre_ in fourth!"

"Well what about _The Chronicles of Narnia_? Or the _Lord of the Rings_ trilogy? Those would be more grade appropriate."

"No!" Mr. Engebretsen fumed. "I will not have my pupil reading any of that magical fantasy nonsense! She is not just any girl, she is the princess and heir to the crown of Arendelle. She must read only the finest works of literature!"

"If you keep putting all this pressure on her—"

"I have been teaching Elsa for years! She's has always flourished under my instruction, but only because I put pressure on her to achieve excellence!" I heard Mr. Engebretsen snap.

"I just think you're being a bit too hard on her. She's afraid to even ask for help. She thinks you'll get mad at her is she asks you to explain something twice."

"And right she is! I shouldn't have to explain the lesson to her twice. If she can't grasp it the first time then she isn't paying enough attention."

"That's not the problem. I helped her with her homework earlier and explained it to her a different way—a way she understood."

"I don't have time to explain a problem a thousand different ways! As the future queen of Arendelle she needs to be prepared to rule a country, and she's not going to get that if I coddle her as you suggest."

"No, I'm not suggesting you coddle her, all I'm saying is that if you keep pushing her she'll break under all that pressure—"

"With all due respect, Mr. Xavier," Mr. Engebretsen interrupted, although his tone implied anything but respect, "I have known Elsa since she was five, whereas you have only known her for two days at the most. Do not presume to know her and her limitations as I do. You were hired to teach her to control her condition—nothing more, nothing less. I do not tell you how to teach your lessons, do _not_ tell me how to teach mine. I have been teaching longer than you've been alive."

"That may be what I was hired for, but it's more than that to me. I care about her well-being, and if I see something is troubling her, I will not hesitate to try and fix it."

"And you think I don't care about her well-being?" Mr. Engebretsen said, his voice rising. "The only reason I told you about her shortcomings was because I hoped you would talk some sense into her!"

"Elsa is not the one who needs some sense talked into her," Mr. Xavier replied, his voice low.

Then I heard footsteps heading towards the door. My breath momentarily stalled in my throat—knowing that if either of them caught me here they would know I'd been eavesdropping. Even though Mr. Xavier was kind and understanding, I had a feeling he wouldn't be too pleased if he found out I'd been listening in on their private conversation. I raced for my door and ducked inside. A few moments later there was a knock on my door. Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath and hoped I didn't look too guilty. I found Mr. Xavier standing outside, a smile on his face.

"Are you ready for your lesson?"

I gave a nod and followed him down to the training room. This time there was no dummy with black tape on it. There were just two folded chairs leaning against the wall. I furrowed my eyebrows and turned to Mr. Xavier with a confused expression on my face.

"I thought we could just talk," he said as he walked over to the chairs and unfolded them. "You could tell me about your family and what happened with you and your sister."

He took a seat in one of the chairs and nodded to the one across from him. He was supposed to be teaching me how to control my powers, not providing me with a therapy session. I walked up behind the chair, but didn't sit down.

"How is this going to help me control my power?"

"Control isn't just physical, it's mental as well. I also think that talking about what happened will help you heal from it."

I felt tears in my eyes, and folded my arms across my chest. "I don't want to talk about the accident. I don't even want to remember it."

Mr. Xavier leaned forward. "Then tell me about the good times. Tell me about the good memories before you were locked in your room."

I was silent for a few moments, thinking it over. "All right," I finally agreed, sitting down in the chair. "Well, there was this time we went on a picnic…"

I told Mr. Xavier every good memory I could remember, and before I knew it, I was telling him about the night that led up to the accident. "She asked me to build a snowman, so we went downstairs and…" I looked away.

"Then the accident happened." I gave a nod, but didn't look up to meet his gaze. "We can talk about it when you're ready."

I looked up into his eyes. I'd only known him for two days, yet I trusted him so completely. "I…I was making snow piles appear and Anna jumped from one to the next, but then she started going too fast. I asked her to slow down, but she didn't, and then I tripped. I struck her head with an ice blast." My hands were curled into tight fists and a light dusting of snow fell all around us. Even after all this time it still hurt to think about it. I could have killed her that night. The only reason she was alive was because the trolls were able to heal her. "That's why I have to control it. I don't want to hurt anyone ever again."

Mr. Xavier leaned forward, staring intently into my eyes. "Listen to me, Elsa. I _will_ help you learn to control it." I smiled and looked back down at my hands. "Can you show me?"

I looked back up to him with confusion. "Show you what?"

"How you used to build a snowman with your sister."

It was an odd request, but I wasn't about to deny him something so simple. "Sure."

I stood up from my chair and raised my hands, making snow fall from the ceiling until there was about an inch or two on the ground. I got down on my hands and knees and started rolling a small snowball into a bigger one. Once I had the base, I began forming another snowball. This time Mr. Xavier walked over and began helping me.

I put the second part on top of the base, but let Mr. Xavier put the head on once I'd formed it. I looked around for a couple of sticks, but the room was empty except for the two chairs and snow. I held out my hand and closed my eyes, imagining two icicles that looked like sticks. When I felt something solid in my hands I opened my eyes and grinned at the two ice sticks I held. Handing one over to Mr. Xavier, we both stuck an arm in, then I made an icicle shaped like a nose and pushed it in his head.

"Anna and I called him Olaf." I turned Olaf towards Mr. Xavier. "She used to love it when I made him say, 'Hi, I'm Olaf and I like warm hugs!'"

Mr. Xavier smiled when I imitated Olaf's voice and moved his arms. "You and your sister were very close."

"Yeah, we were best friends." I turned Olaf around and looked at his smiling face, remembering all the fun Anna and I used to have.

"What else did you and your sister do?" He asked. I noticed his cheeks were turning red from the cold, but he had a bright smile on his face.

"Well, we used to slide on the ice, and we rode down small snow hills I made, and sometimes we had snowball fights."

Suddenly I felt something cold hit the side of my face. My mouth opened in surprise as I turned to look at Mr. Xavier. He stood a few feet away, holding a snowball in his hand. "Like that?"

I gave him a mischievous grin. "Are you sure you want to mess with the Snow Princess?"

I dug my hands into the snow and formed a ball before throwing it at Mr. Xavier. He jumped to the side and narrowly missed.

"You'll have to do better than that," he laughed before he threw his snowball. I ducked to the side, but it still hit my arm. With a wave of my arm I made a dozen snowballs appear before me, and Mr. Xavier's eyes widened.

"Get ready to face the wrath of the Snow Princess!" I laughed before launching them at him.

* * *

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! And also to the people who followed and favorited! Hope you enjoyed this chapter. :)**


	6. Broken

Chapter Six – Broken

At the end of our training session there were still snowflakes caught in Mr. Xavier's hair, which stuck up in several places due to all the snowballs I'd pelted him with, and despite his attempts to smooth it down. We walked into the dining room for dinner and I saw Mr. Engebretsen already seated at the end of the table. I could hear Hank in the kitchen. Mr. Xavier took a seat at the other end of the table and grabbed his napkin, putting it on his lap.

"Have fun during _training?_" Mr. Engebretsen asked, putting extra emphasis on the last word—like he didn't actually believe we'd been training. His eyes narrowed slightly when he looked at Mr. Xavier. I wasn't sure whether his question was for him or me, but I decided to answer.

"Yes."

"And what did you learn today, Elsa?"

When I paused and thought back to the training session, I realized something—I hadn't really_ learned_ anything but I felt a lot happier. It felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders after talking about what happened and having a snowball war, but there wasn't really anything I'd learned. When I looked back up into Mr. Engebretsen eyes I saw he was still waiting for an answer.

"Um…how to throw a snowball?"

Mr. Engebretsen turned his gaze to Mr. Xavier, giving him a barely tolerant look—a sort of I-told-you-so look. "Well, I'm sure that will be very helpful in the real world."

"Yes, much more helpful than shattering her self-confidence." Mr. Xavier returned the look Mr. Engebretsen had given him, while I had to press my lips together to keep from smiling.

* * *

**One week later…**

"How is your training going, Elsa?"

I looked up from _War and Peace_ to see Mr. Engebretsen staring at me. He was leaning against the chalkboard, arms crossed over his chest.

"It's going well," I replied before turning my attention back to the book.

"What have you learned so far?" he pressed on.

I bit down on my lower lip, looking down at the grooves on my desk. For the past week Mr. Xavier would take me down to the training room and we would talk about my past…my memories—the good ones and the painful ones. I told him everything. And after that he would always ask me to demonstrate something I had told him—like when I mentioned the crystal snowflakes I hung up in the bedroom Anna and I shared…before I was given my own room. There were a few times when the training session ended with a snowball fight. I was getting really good at winning the snowballs fights, since I began conjuring walls of snow to protect me. I also learned how to make the snowballs curve midair so they hit Mr. Xavier, even when he tried to duck or run…but I doubted Mr. Engebretsen would be pleased with that answer.

"Well?" he asked again when I didn't respond. I looked back up at him.

"Well…we've been talking about my past," I said weakly. Mr. Engebretsen sighed and clicked his tongue, turning his gaze away from me.

"Your parents won't be pleased to hear that when they return."

"Why?" I asked, my voice more bold this time.

"You came here to learn to control your condition, not get therapy."

I felt the sudden need to defend Mr. Xavier. "Mr. Xavier says that control is mental too. He says talking about my past will help."

"And has it? Do you think if you went back home right now you'd be any better at controlling your condition?"

I looked down at my hands, knowing at answer. "No."

He let out a snort and nodded. "Exactly. You were brought here for one purpose—to learn how to control it. If he is not helping you accomplish that, then there is no need for you to remain here." There was a brief pause. "I am even suspicious of him."

I looked up at him in confusion. "Why?"

"I think he's a fake. After all, what do we really know about him? Only the basics—that he has a Ph.D. in Genetics, Biophysics and Psychology!" He let out a huff. "Psychology! That alone should have set off warning bells in my mind. He obviously knows how to manipulate people into doing exactly what he wants."

"He would never do that!" I cried, not wanting to believe a word of it. Whenever I looked into Mr. Xavier's eyes all I saw was honestly and openness—not the eyes of someone who was manipulative or dishonest. "He—he's honest! I can tell."

"Elsa, what would you know of manipulation tactics? You have been kept from people almost your entire life." I wanted to say he was wrong, but I knew he wasn't. Just like that, doubts entered my mind. I'd always lived inside the castle, and ever since I was eight I'd been locked away from people—forced to hide myself for their safety and my own. If someone was lying to me—manipulating me—would I be able to tell?

"And how do you know he's not being honest? You don't have any proof!" I shot back.

He sharpened his gaze. "Tell me this, Elsa. He claims to have powers, but he has never used them—"

"He lost his powers!" I interrupted.

Mr. Engebretsen gave me a disbelieving look. "And do you actually think it possible to _lose_ something like that—something you were born with? This condition you have is an _illness_—a genetic flaw." It stung to hear my powers called an illness, like it somehow made me defective. Mr. Engebretsen either didn't notice the hurt expression on my face, or didn't care, because he simply continued. "A person's genetic makeup can't be changed and it certainly can't be _lost_."

I swallowed the lump in my throat, not wanting to believe it…but it made sense. How could someone lose powers they were born with? If powers were indeed encoded in our genetic makeup then it wouldn't be possible to lose one's powers any more than it would be possible to lose one's hair color.

"But…" I was slowly panicking, realizing that Mr. Engebretsen's accusations made sense. "But then why would he agree to teach me? He isn't being paid for it."

"Think about it, Elsa—you're the princess. The heir to the crown of Arendelle. If he controls you, he controls the country."

I felt like the breath had been knocking out of me. Could Mr. Xavier really want to control me? A week ago the same thought had crossed my mind—I had wondered if there could actually be someone out there who wanted to _help_ me. I had finally allowed myself to trust him, to let go of my belief that there were only two people in the world—those who would fear me, and those who wanted to control me. Could I really be that naïve? I didn't want to be wrong about Mr. Xavier.

"He wouldn't do that!" I said, but my voice came out wobbly, and sounded fake even to my own ears.

I could feel the powers inside slowly slipping as I became even more upset. I looked over at the window to see a frost creeping across the glass, and the desk in front of me had a thin layer of ice on it. I closed my eyes and the first thing that came to my mind was, _Conceal, don't feel. Don't let it show._ I shoved my emotions away and opened my eyes when I felt calm again.

Mr. Engebretsen cast a cautious look at the ice in the room before continuing, "Wouldn't he? Has he done one thing to help you? Why is he so interested in your past?" He sniffed and turned his head to gaze out the window. "And I intend to tell your parents about my suspicions."

I didn't want to leave Mr. Xavier, but I knew Mr. Engebretsen could be right. My second day here Mr. Xavier tried to teach me, but after my accident that he didn't seem interested in continuing that. For the past week there had been no lessons—no helpful advice on controlling my powers. All he seemed concerned with was my past. That was all. What was the point of staying here if I wasn't learning anything? Mr. Xavier promised to teach me how to control my powers, but he hadn't done so.

He wouldn't lie to me…would he?

* * *

Mr. Xavier stared in wonder at the small ice castle I'd created. It looked like the one I built right before my parents sent out the envoys—before they found Mr. Xavier. Today I told him about what led to mama and papa sending out envoys to every country. When I casually mentioned the ice castle I made, he asked me to demonstrate it. It took a while, but Mr. Xavier sat patiently, watching me create an ice palace.

"Elsa, that's amazing."

I beamed at his compliment. For so long I had been taught my powers were bad—at the very least, something to fear. Hearing someone tell me I was amazing made me feel like I was on top of the world. Hearing that almost made all my doubts about him disappear…almost.

"Are you going to give me the tour?" he asked, and I let out a laugh.

With a wave of my hand, I opened the grand doors at the front, revealing the foyer. "This is the throne room, and the stairs lead to the two highest towers." I moved my finger and pointed to them. "This one is my room, and the one next to it is Anna's. I gave her a canopy bed, just like the one in her room at the castle."

"There are no doors in your castle," Mr. Xavier noted.

I felt my heart clench, remembering why I made it that way. "I didn't want anything to come between Anna and me—not even doors."

He gave a nod, showing he was listening. "I see. And what happened after you built your ice castle?"

I frowned. "Anna came to my door like she always did, and asked me to come out and play with her, but I told her no. Then a few minutes later I saw her playing out in the snow—building a snowman. And I…and then something…weird happened," I said slowly, not sure whether I should be telling him this. What if he thought I was crazy?

"What?" he asked, tilting his head a bit so he could look directly into my eyes.

I looked down at the ground and took a deep breath before blurting it all out. "I don't know. All of a sudden my neck felt tight and I couldn't breathe. Everything…it all seemed to fade away and all I could hear was my heart beating. I thought I was going to die."

I chanced a peek at Mr. Xavier, but instead of seeing what I expected—him looking at me like I was crazy—he had an understanding look on his face. It was full of sympathy. "You had a panic attack."

I furrowed my eyebrows. "What?"

"It happens to people who are under a lot of stress. It's not harmful, but it can be very frightening to someone who doesn't understand what's going on." After a couple minutes of silence, he pressed on, "What happened after that?"

"My parents came and they saw what I'd done to my room. My room was completely iced over and my castle was broken," I clenched my hands into fists as I remembered it, trying to hold in my powers. "They saw it and they were scared of me. They have been ever since I hurt Anna—I can tell. Sometimes I…" I trailed off and bit down on my lip. "Sometimes I wonder if they wish I didn't have powers."

"I'm sure they don't." Mr. Xavier said, but I just looked away. "Elsa, they brought you here because they loved you and wanted to help you."

I didn't want to tell Mr. Xavier, but sometimes I wondered if they were happier now that I was gone—if they were glad to be rid of me. They didn't have to live in fear of my accidentally freezing my room, or Anna getting hurt. No matter how outrageous the thought, I still had my doubts. Just as I had doubts about Mr. Xavier.

I cast a glance back up at him. His face didn't hold any signs of insincerity. His kind blue eyes gazed at me with openness, and maybe even a bit of affection. Could he really be hiding ulterior motives? Was I really so bad at reading people as to totally miss it?

"Is that when your father sent out the messengers?" Mr. Xavier asked, and I gave a nod. When I finally looked back up at me he gave me a small smile. "Why don't you tell me about a happier memory?"

I frowned and looked down. All he ever asked me to do was talk about my past or use my powers to demonstrate something. This wasn't helping me. I enjoyed having fun, but I wanted to learn control.

"No."

Mr. Xavier furrowed his eyebrows, confusion crossing his face. "Why?"

I picked at a loose thread on my skirt, then finally looked up to meet his gaze. "Because I don't want to. Why don't you tell me how you lost your powers? How is such a thing even possible?"

He leaned back, drawing in a breath. "I'd rather not talk about it."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Oh, but it's perfectly fine for you to know everything about me?"

Mr. Xavier leaned forward. "Elsa, this is your training session, not mine."

I crossed my arms, Mr. Engebretsen's earlier words ringing through my mind. "Is that what this is supposed to be? Well, for a training session I don't feel like I'm _learning_ anything." I crossed my arms. "Isn't that the _point_ of training?"

He looked a bit shocked by my words, and also a bit irritated. "You have been learning this entire time."

I raised an eyebrow at him. "How to throw a snowball doesn't count."

"You don't think you learned anything?"

"No. I'm supposed to be learning how to control my powers, and I haven't learned anything to help me with that."

Mr. Xavier suddenly stood and walked out of the room. I sat there in the floor, stunned. Most of my anger seemed to evaporate. I wondered if he was angry with me for what I'd said. What if he didn't want to train me anymore? I shook my head; it's not like he was training me anyway. A couple minutes later Mr. Xavier walked back in, carrying the mannequin under one arm. He crossed the room and set it up where it had been nearly a week ago. The head had been glued back on, but the black 'x' was still taped to the chest.

"I want you to hit this target," he said as he walked back over to me. I suddenly realized that he was doing this so I'd feel like I was training. He might be trying to cast off my suspicions.

"I don't know if I can," I admitted quietly, looking down in embarrassment. Maybe that was what he intended—to embarrass me and make me feel guilty for saying that I wasn't really learning anything. Mr. Engebretsen would do something like that, but when I looked up at Mr. Xavier I only saw an encouraging smile on his face.

He saw the uncertainty in my eyes and bent down beside me. "Just pretend that the mannequin is me, and that you're throwing a snowball. Don't think about anything else—just pretend you're having fun."

I closed my eyes and tried to picture it in my head—Mr. Xavier standing in front of me, and a snowball in my hand. I clasped my hands together and felt the power well up inside me, then opened my eyes and aimed for the 'x' in the middle—pretending that we were having a snowball fight. I let out a cry of delight when the blast of ice hit the mark dead center. My hands flew to my mouth and I gasped, still unable to believe I'd done it.

"I…I did it! I hit it!" I turned to Mr. Xavier to see a big smile on his face, and suddenly what he said clicked in my mind. "You _have_ been teaching me! I thought it was all just fun, but you were teaching me!"

He gave a nod. "I saw that when you thought about it too much, you let your doubts cloud your focus. When I asked you to build a snowman and all those other things, I was trying to get you used to using your powers. When we were having snowball fights I was helping you improve your aim and accuracy."

"And what about talking about my past?"

"That was to help old scars heal. Tell me, does it hurt as much as it used to—thinking about the accident?"

I swallowed and thought back to when I struck Anna. I still felt a sting in my heart, but the hurt felt cushioned a bit—the pain wasn't as bad as it used to be. "Not as much."

He simply gave a nod. I suddenly felt ashamed at having doubted him. I thought so many horrible things about him—none of which turned out to be true. I let my fears and doubts overcome what I already knew. All this time I thought we were just playing, but he was teaching me and I didn't even realize it.

"I'm sorry I doubted you," I said, looking down at my shoes. A moment later I felt a hand on my shoulder, and this time I didn't pull away, or even stiffen under the touch.

"It's all right."

"I want to hear about your past," I added. For the past week all we'd done was talk all about me and my past, while there still wasn't a lot I knew about Mr. Xavier.

There was a brief silence before he let out a sigh. He gestured to the chairs, and we both walked over to them and sat down. "All right. What do you want to know?"

"Everything."

He smiled. "That could take a while."

I shrugged. "I don't care."

"Well, I suppose I could tell you how I met Raven…"

Mr. Xavier told me the story, then went on talking about memories he had of her and him as children.

"When I was sixteen I had a huge crush on the most popular girl at school, so I decided to ask her to the winter dance. I wasn't very popular back then, so she turned me down." He frowned. "But not just that—she mocked me in front of everyone. Raven saw and didn't like the fact that she publically humiliated me, so the next day she disguised herself as the girl. She went up to the most unpopular boy in the school, declared her love for him, and asked him to go to the dance with her." Even though I could see the disapproval in his eyes, his lips couldn't contain the smile he tried to hide. "But he was more interested in studies than girls, and Raven knew this, so she got turned down and humiliated. The whole school teased her for it for the rest of the year, even though she kept saying that she never asked him out. They thought she was lying to try and save face."

"She sounds like an awesome sister," I said. "Were you two close like Anna and I were?"

He smiled. "Yes, we were."

I was quiet for a moment, thinking over everything he had told me about her. "If Erik took her, then why don't you try and get her back?"

"It's not like that. She left of her own free will." He looked away, and a dark expression passed his face. "He filled her head with all these ideas and turned her against me."

"But why don't you just tell her the truth then?"

He opened his mouth to talk, then closed it a moment later. It was silent for a few moments, before he finally decided to speak. "Elsa, you're young, and some things are beyond your comprehension."

I frowned. "I'm not stupid. I can understand things, Mr. Xavier."

He held up a hand, as if to calm me down. "I'm not suggesting that, I'm just saying that when you're older…" he paused and stared off into space, then continued in a hushed tone, as if speaking to himself, "things become clear to you that weren't when you were younger."

It was clear I wouldn't be getting any more of an explanation from him, so I asked him to tell me more about his past. I noticed that most of the stories he told were about Raven and him. Once or twice he'd mention his mother or father, but he mostly talked about her.

* * *

"I was wrong about Mr. Xavier."

Mr. Engebretsen looked up from behind his desk and furrowed his eyebrows. "What?"

I laid the thick book down on my desk. "I was wrong about Mr. Xavier yesterday—when I said he wasn't teaching me anything. He was teaching me, I just didn't realize it."

"Is that so?" he asked, his tone clearly communicating that he didn't believe me.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Yes. He asked me to make things so I would become comfortable using my powers, and we had the snowball fights so I could improve my aim. I just didn't see it."

He leaned forward, resting his arms on the desk. "Let me guess, you asked why he wasn't teaching you, and then he told you all this?"

"Yes."

He let out a tolerant sigh. "Just as I said, Elsa. You're naïve because you've been kept from people. Did you ever stop to think that he did that to make you believe you were learning? He's been lying to you about everything."

"He hasn't been lying!" I retorted. My hands clenched into fists at my side.

Mr. Engebretsen narrowed his eyes and his mouth drew into a fine line. Anger was written all across his face, but I didn't care anymore, because I was angrier. I felt my face grow warm and a hot, bubbling sensation grew in the pit of my stomach—resentment.

"He _has,_ Elsa. You may delude yourself into thinking that he's been teaching you, but what about the other things? He has lied to you about losing his condition!"

"I've been thinking about that, and if it is an illness, then it can be cured, can't it?" I'd spent all last night thinking about what he said. If my genes were flawed, then my powers were a disease like any other. Like cancer, my powers came from a genetic mutation, and if cancer had treatments available, then maybe there were treatments for people with powers.

"If he knows of a cure then why doesn't he give it to you?" Mr. Engebretsen said, and I instantly realized he was right. My hands relaxed, and I started to doubt. I closed my eyes and shoved all the doubts away. No, I had to trust Mr. Xavier. I was wrong about him yesterday, and I couldn't let Mr. Engebretsen influence me anymore.

"It might be like cancer—sometimes treatment works and sometimes it doesn't. It might be a dangerous treatment," I reasoned.

Mr. Engebretsen waved a dismissive hand. "Two very different cases. Your condition cannot be compared to cancer. There is no _cure_ or treatment."

"There might be. How do you know it's any different—" I tried to say, but Mr. Engebretsen cut me off.

"Believe me, Elsa, your parents tried to find a cure to fix your illness—" he snapped, but instantly cut himself short when I let out an involuntary gasp, my hands flying to my mouth. I felt shock, and then a sort of numbness settle in, not wanting to believe what he'd said was true…but I knew it was. I knew because of the way his eyes widened—he knew he'd said something he shouldn't have.

After a few moments the numbness wore off, and my eyes filled with tears. It felt like my stomach had dropped right out from under me. "My parents were…they were trying to…fix me?"

Mr. Engebretsen turned around, his back to me, and didn't speak for a long time. Finally, he drew in a breath and turned around. "Come now, Elsa. You must have known they wanted you to be normal."

"They liked my powers," I said, my voice breaking. "I remember when we went sledding. I was young, and they loved my powers."

"Yes, before they realized how dangerous your condition could be—_was_."

I let out a sob and took a step back. Everything was turning blue, and a distinct chill settled in the air. It was what I'd always feared—that my parents feared _me_. That they viewed me as broken and wished I was different.

I stood up from my desk and ran from the room, ignoring how Mr. Engebretsen called out for me to stop and come back. We were in the middle of class, but I didn't care. I finally found the front doors and burst through them. There was a cobblestone path and I ran down it, not stopping until I came to a weeping willow tree. I ducked under the dangling branches and leaned against the trunk, my back sliding down the bark—digging into my skin. I drew my legs up to my chest and buried my face in my knees. A small snowstorm raged around me, whipping the vines of the trees and making my skirt billow around my ankles.

I don't know how long I was there, but the first thing I heard besides the sound of my own sobs or the snowstorm raging around me, was the crunching of boots through the leaves. My breath stalled and I thought that maybe it was Mr. Engebretsen—coming to scold me for running off. To tell me that I needed to control my emotions. I couldn't lose control. He always hated it when I did.

I felt my body relax when a hand reached through the vines and pulled them aside, revealing Hank. Then, it sparked into irritation. I didn't want to see anyone right now, least of all _him_. As the wind died down and the snow slowed I was reminded of my first meeting with him. He had attacked my papa and wounded him. I would never forget what he did to him.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, my voice tight.

"I saw a trail of ice leading outside the mansion. Is there something wrong?" I looked into his eyes and saw concern; I didn't want it.

"Go away, Hank!" I snapped, turning my head away.

"You know, they say talking about your problems helps—" he started to say, but I interrupted him.

"I don't want to talk to _you_—I don't even like you! Just _leave me alone!_"

When I looked back up at his face I saw hurt flash across it. I felt a bit of guilt, but quickly shoved it away.

"Elsa—"

He was interrupted by Mr. Xavier's voice calling out. "Elsa? Where are you? I saw the frost outside my window. Is everything all right?"

I responded instantly, my head snapping up. A moment later he appeared behind Hank, and when he saw the tears falling down my cheeks he quickly ran over, shoving the vines aside. He knelt down next to me.

"Elsa, what's wrong?"

I looked into his eyes and just like that, everything spilled out of me. Whenever I was around him it felt like I could say anything. "My parents were trying to find a cure," I whispered, and had to look away as more tears slipped down my cheeks. "They were trying to find something to get rid of my powers. They wanted to _fix _me—like I'm broken!" I wiped a hand across my face, trying to wipe away the tears, but only smearing them across my face. "I guess that's what I am, though. My genes are defective. The only reason I have this…_illness,_" I ground the word out, "is because my genes are flawed."

"Mutation is no more an illness than having red hair or green eyes," Hank spoke up. "In fact, a long time ago, humans were just an aberration among Neanderthals. Not so long ago, _humans_ were the ones with the flawed genes. The gene that makes you this way may be a flaw, but that doesn't make it a bad thing."

I turned my eyes to Mr. Xavier, and he gave me a nod and smile. "Hank is right, Elsa, mutation is not a bad thing. It took us from single celled organisms to the dominant form of life on earth. Does that sound like a defect?" he asked. I couldn't respond for a moment, but after a minute or two I finally shook my head.

"Did the Neanderthals try and change the humans?" I asked.

"Well, we don't know for sure. All we do know is that shortly after the mutated humans showed up, the Neanderthals died out."

"So the humans are going to die out and we're going to take over?" I asked.

"Well," Mr. Xavier drew in a deep breath and then let it out all at once, looking away. "That's a difficult question to answer. We're not sure if mutants are the next stage in human evolution, or we just have a trait that will become more common, like red hair."

"But if we _are_ the next stage in humans evolution, then that means we're the better species, doesn't it? Is that why they want to change me?" I asked, finally calming down. The wind stopped completely and the snow fell to the ground. The last traces of blue faded from my vision.

"No." Mr. Xavier's whole expression changed. His eyes held an intense look in them, bordering on anger. When he spoke, he continued in a low voice, "Listen to me carefully, Elsa. Our mutations do _not _make us better than the humans, and that is a very dangerous line of thinking." His gaze softened. "And not everyone wants to change you, Elsa. Not me—not Hank." He gave a nod in his direction. I looked up at Hank, the feeling of guilt creeping back in. I still had questions, though, so I shoved the annoying feelings aside for the moment.

I turned and looked directly into Mr. Xavier's eyes. "I _have_ to know, Mr. Xavier," I pleaded, "how did you lose your powers?"

He immediately looked away, his lips pressed into a fine line. "Elsa—"

"I know you don't want to talk about it, but I _need_ to know. I thought maybe there was a treatment, like when someone gets cancer and they do radiation to cure them, but then I wondered why you wouldn't give me the cure, if there was one. So it can't be that, because if there was a cure, you'd give it to me, wouldn't you?" I realized I was getting off topic, but it's like the words came spilling out of me. All my doubts and fears came tumbling out. It was just the effect he had on me.

"Elsa, a cure isn't going to help you. You need to learn to control it, not—" he began, but I cut him off. All I wanted was a simple answer.

"But if there _was_ a cure, you'd tell me, right?" I pressed. Even though I didn't want my parents to fear me or to think of me as broken, I'd be lying if I didn't wish sometimes that I could have been born normal. "If there was I could go home. My family wouldn't fear me. You'd tell me, _right?_"

Mr. Xavier was silent for a moment, but it felt like an eternity. Finally, he turned his bright blue eyes to me and nodded. "Of course."

"So how did you lose your powers?" I continued.

I saw Mr. Xavier glance at Hank, who looked like he was caught between two emotions and couldn't decide which one to feel. When he looked back at me I could see there was something in his expression—something I couldn't read. There was a slight twitch in his jaw when he answered. "I'm not sure. They just disappeared one day."

It went against everything Mr. Engebretsen said, but I was all too willing to accept it. Mr. Xavier said it, so it must be true. He wouldn't lie to me.

"Charles," Hank began, and I could hear disapproval in his voice. I was slightly confused, but before I could think on it Mr. Xavier sent him a sharp look and stood. He turned to me with a smile and offered me a gloved hand.

"We'd better get you back inside. Mr. Engebretsen is probably wondering where you've gone."

I took his hand, and as I stood up I felt as if I'd had a heavy burden lifted off my shoulders.

* * *

**Thanks to everyone who followed, favorited, and reviewed! :)**


	7. Whispers In My Mind

Chapter Seven – Whispers In My Mind

**One Week Later…**

"All right, now I want you to try and hit the one with the red tape, then the one with the black tape."

I stared at the new contraption Mr. Xavier had set up in the training room. There were two mannequins, both with a different color tape on their chest. A metal track that looked similar to train tracks ran around in a small circle with the mannequins feet attached to it. When Mr. Xavier pulled a lever, the models started to move along the track.

I raised my hands and pretended the mannequin with the red tape was Mr. Xavier running from my snowball attacks. With a smile I reeled my hand back and shot a blast of ice at the red marked target. It missed by only inches, icing over the wall behind it. I let out an irritated breath. I had done it before, so I should be able to do it again.

"Keep trying," Mr. Xavier encouraged, so I raised my hands and shot another blast. This time, it skimmed the edge of the mannequin, shattering her right arm. I cringed and bit down on my lip. "Good, you're getting closer."

I felt my confidence rise at his encouragement. No matter what I did—even if I missed completely—Mr. Xavier always found a way to encourage me. Raising my arm, I took aim once again. When my blast hit the center of the red tape, my mouth curved into a grin and I felt a sense of accomplishment wash over me. With another wave of my hand, I hit the black-marked target.

I let out a laugh. For so many years I believed I would never be able to control it. Sometimes I _still_ had doubts, but whenever I was training with Mr. Xavier, I felt like I could take on the world. I felt free from all the fears and doubts that plagued my mind.

"Thank you, Mr. Xavier," I said, feeling my admiration only grow.

"Don't thank me, that was all _you_, Elsa," he said, giving me a brilliant grin. "Just think about what you could accomplish if you set your mind to it."

I turned my eyes back to the two mannequins—completely snapped in half by my powers. Controlled, my powers were a force to be reckoned with. But as I stared at the mannequins, my smile slowly faded away, replaced by a frown. My powers could accomplish great things, but what did it matter? What _could_ I accomplish—really? Even if I did learn to control my powers, what good would it do? I could never reveal them to anyone. Even completely safe and in control, people would still fear me for my powers.

I wrapped my arms around my chest. "I can't accomplish anything because no one can ever know about my powers. They'd only fear me or want to control me—that's what papa always said." I turned my eyes to him. "They'll always fear me, won't they? I'll always have to hide behind a mask. Is…is there really a point in training me to use my powers if I won't ever be able to?"

"They only fear what they don't understand, but we can educate them. We can show them a better path—one where humans and mutants live in peace…together."

"How do you know?"

"Because I've met humans like that. A woman named Moira, for one—and others like her. People only fear us because they fear what we are capable of. They think we'll use our powers to hurt them. In some ways, their fears are justified. There are mutants who believe that they are superior to the humans. They want a world without them, so that means it falls on our shoulders to show the humans that we're not all like that. Does that make sense?"

I thought about it, and gave a nod. He smiled in response. "Good. Now…" He looked back at the destroyed mannequins. "Well, I guess training is over for today. Looks like I'll have to come up with a harder training course."

* * *

I was eating lunch in the kitchen when Hank walked in, holding a stack of envelopes in his hand. Ever since the incident a week ago we'd barely spoken, and barely made eye contact except when necessary. I wasn't complaining, though. My guilt had faded and anger had replaced it. All I had to do was remember what he'd done to papa on that first day.

"Elsa?"

I was surprised when I heard his voice speak my name. Why was he talking to me? Was he going to try and apologize again? He should know by now it wouldn't change a thing.

I turned in my seat to see him holding out a single envelope. "This came in the mail for you."

I was confused as to who could have written me, but then it suddenly clicked. With a gasp of excitement, I snatched the envelope and flipped it over to see the address label. Anna's name and our address were written in the upper left hand corner. I could feel happiness bubbling deep down in my stomach. She'd actually written to me!

I tore the envelope open and pulled out a couple sheets of fancy stationary. I couldn't wait to write back, even before I knew what the letter said. It would be the first contact we'd had in over five years. Well, besides me yelling at her to go away from the opposite side of my bedroom door.

_"__Dear Elsa,_

_What is the hospital like? Is it fun? Do you have nice doctors? After you left I laid down in bed and pretended I had a heart condition, but the royal doctor came and told mama that there was nothing wrong with me. Even though mama says I shouldn't wish it, I still wish I had a heart condition so I could be with you there. But if I did, then I couldn't ride my bike. Hey, maybe when you get better and come back home you can ride bikes with me, but not down the stairs. Kai was mad when I flew down the stairs and knocked over a suit of armor, but I was more upset about my bike. It had a big dent on the tire and now I can't ride it anymore. Do they have bikes at the hospital?_

_Oh, and do they have chocolate? I'm not allowed to have chocolate anymore. I mean, I wasn't allowed to before, but Chef Asmund caught me stealing some chocolate and now he's hid it somewhere new. But no worries, I'll find it eventually—"_

"All right, Elsa. Lunch is over."

I turned my gaze away from the letter to see Mr. Engebretsen standing in the doorway. His attention shifted to the papers in my hand and his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "What's that?"

I gave him a smile. "It's a letter from Anna! It just came today!"

He gave a smile in response. "Wonderful! Well, you can read it after your lessons. It's time for math right now."

I made a face when Mr. Engebretsen turned away. Mr. Xavier may be helping me with my math homework, but it was still hard. It was my least favorite subject. I slipped the letter into my dress pocket and followed Mr. Engebretsen up the stairs to the classroom.

* * *

The book _War and Peace_ was in my hands, but for once, I wasn't actually reading the book. Mr. Engebretsen sat at his desk at the front of the room, grading my latest math test. I had the book propped up with the cover facing him, and I was supposed to be reading, but I couldn't wait until class was over to finish Anna's letter. How could I concentrate on nineteenth century France when I'd just received a letter from the sister I hadn't spoken to in years?

The two papers she'd written were propped up inside the book, so I could read them. With one last glance at Mr. Engebretsen, I turned my focus to the letter and began where I'd left off.

_"__I have a good idea where the chocolate is, but I have to wait until Chef Asmund is distracted, so I can check. We're having a big dinner this Friday for a visiting dignitary, and there's this really complicated banquet that mama and papa want him to prepare, so while he's busy running around the kitchen, I can sneak into his secret cabinet and look for the chocolate._

_Oh, and I almost forgot—mama and papa have opened the gates back up! They still won't let me go out, but they are letting visitors from other countries come in. Isn't that wonderful?"_

I felt a sting in my heart at the news, but quickly dismissed it. Why shouldn't they open the gates? The only reason they closed them in the first place was because of _me_. Now that I wasn't there, they had nothing to worry about. They no longer had to be afraid of others finding out about my powers, or of me accidentally hurting someone. Maybe they were happy I was gone.

_"__I still don't know why they closed them in the first place, though, and they won't tell me why they reopened them again, but I'll find out somehow. I don't know why, but I have this strange feeling they're trying to keep something from me—"_

"Elsa!"

A sharp rap on my desk made my jump, and I looked up to see Mr. Engebretsen standing in front of me, an irritated expression on his face. I could feel a sense of dread spreading all throughout my body, and the magic sparked at my fingertips, leaving patches of ice where they touched the book. I'd been caught.

"I'm glad to see you're so engrossed in your book, but I just asked you a question." He must have seen the scared look on my face, because he furrowed his eyebrows. "What are you doing?"

I suddenly realized he didn't know I'd been reading Anna's letter, but before I could hide the notes he grabbed the top of the book and pulled it down. When he saw the letter his gaze turned angry.

"I told you that you could read this after class! I'm going to have to confiscate it and give it back to your after your lessons are over," he said as he reached for the papers.

I snatched it away before he could grab them. "No! I'll put them away, but don't take it!"

"Elsa, hand me the letters," he demanded, hand outstretched.

"No, please don't. I'll put them away and—" I tried to plea, but he interrupted me.

"No, I have given you an order, young lady. Now don't make me ask again. You can have them back at the end of class."

He stood there expectantly, a stern look on his face—a look that used to scare me. As I stared back at his steely gaze, I realized I no longer felt afraid of him, at least, not since I had been training with Mr. Xavier. I tightened my jaw and lifted it in defiance.

"No."

He leaned forward, and before I could pull away further he grabbed the top of the papers. "Elsa, let go this instant!" he snapped when I wouldn't let go of my hold on them.

"No! Give them back!"

The sound of paper ripping broke through our argument. I looked down to see the letters had been torn in two. When I looked up, I saw Mr. Engebretsen holding the other half. My vision started to turn blue and blur as tears welled up in my eyes. It was the only communication I'd had with her in years, and he had just ripped it. Silent snowflakes started to fall all around me, drifting to the floor.

"It's ripped!" I cried, my voice a pitch higher than usual. The snowfall increased all around us.

"You should have handed them over when I asked you too," Mr. Engebretsen snapped, and my eyes flickered up to him.

"You ripped them!" I cried, my eyes narrowing at him. My heart started beating faster, and an anger I hadn't known before filled me, like a fire being kindled in my chest. It wasn't just that he ripped the papers—it was the fact that he knew how much they meant to me, and he didn't even try to apologize for ripping them.

"You have no one to blame but yourself," he retorted, slapping the ripped pieces on the desk. "If you had listened to me, they would not have been ripped!"

Blue filled my vision, turning everything the shade of the ocean during a storm—dark and angry. The snow started swirling around like we were trapped inside a snow globe that was being shaken, while ice crawled across the floor and up the walls.

"Elsa, stop that!" he snapped, glancing around uneasily at all the ice.

"No!" I cried, hand clenching into fists at my sides.

"Elsa, I am ordering you to stop right now!" he said, his voice quivering just the slightest bit.

"You don't give me orders!" I cried, and at the same time I heard the ice crack as it jutted out from the walls—forming deadly spikes all around us. "I am not a dog you can command!"

I could hurt him if I wanted—show him that he no longer controlled me. It would be so easy too—with the sudden rush of anger came a new sense of control. It was almost as powerful as when I thought about my happiest memories.

_Destroy him! Show him his place, _a woman's voice whispered in my mind. I let out an audible gasp and stumbled back, fear coursing through my veins at the sudden voice. The deadly intent, the hatred in the tone—it scared me.

The voice had to be coming from somewhere else. It wasn't mine, I knew that much for sure, but it sounded so familiar. Where had I heard it before? Leaning forward, I brought my hands up to my head, wondering if I was slowly going crazy. Those were not my own thoughts, yet they were in my head, so they _had_ to be mine. It was almost like some other being had taken up residence in my brain.

My eyes searched all around, and the wind in the room picked up as ice cracked all around me—shattered by the fear I felt. When I looked up at Mr. Engebretsen and saw the same unadulterated fear in his eyes as he looked at the destruction I was wreaking, any anger I still felt evaporated. What had I _done?_ This wasn't me!

I brought my hands up to my forehead and squeezed my eyes shut. _Conceal, don't feel! Don't feel! Don't feel!_ I pleaded in my mind, as my breaths came in ragged gasps. A few moments later the winds died down and when I opened my eyes the blue had faded to a soft hue.

There was a knock on the door, and my heart leaped into my throat. _No, please, don't let it be Mr. Xavier!_ I pleaded in my mind. I didn't want him to see me like this. I didn't want him to see that I had lost all control once again. The doorknob rattled, but it didn't turn all the way—it was frozen shut. When the door wouldn't budge the rattling increased.

"Elsa! Are you all right?" I heard Mr. Xavier's voice.

"I'm fine!" I cried, but my voice was tight and strained, even to my own ears.

My tone obviously wasn't very convincing, because there was a sudden pounding on the door. A moment later it burst open—sending glistening shards of ice flying everywhere. As Mr. Xavier looked over the ice-encrusted room his gaze widened.

"Elsa, what happened?" he asked, turning his blue eyes over to me.

I looked down at the ground, feeling tears burn behind my eyes. Before I could speak Mr. Engebretsen stormed over to Mr. Xavier and jabbed a finger at his chest.

"I'll _tell_ you what happened!" he snarled. "_You_ got into her head! She never behaved this way before she came here—and now she's out of control! She talks back to me! She throws a temper tantrum and freezes the entire room! You…y-you've turned her into a monster!"

Shock froze my body—rooting me in place. It was the one thing I feared—being seen as a monster. But as I looked around at all the havoc and destruction I'd caused, I knew he was right. I _was_ a monster.

I turned and ran, brushing past Mr. Xavier as I bolted through the doorway. When I reached my room I slammed the door shut and walked over to my bed. Through tear-blurred eyes I saw the doll Anna had given me before I left for America. I reached over and grabbed Princess Marianne from my bedside table, holding her close as I curled into a ball. I buried my face into the soft fabric and squeezed my eyes shut.

Coming here was supposed to solve everything—show me how to control my powers. I felt more out of control than ever. Even when I hit the target and completed the training exercises Mr. Xavier gave me, there was no real sense of peace. My emotions were all tangled up—and when I was all alone any control slipped away like water through cracks. Only when I was with Mr. Xavier did I feel strong and in control. When we were training I didn't feel like a freak, or a monster, I felt special and unique—like a snowflake. But when I was with Mr. Engebretsen I felt so alone and hopeless. He made me feel like I was deformed, and in a way, I guess I was. Most recently, he made me feel like the monster I always thought I was. I never wanted to hurt anyone, least of all Mr. Engebretsen.

It was a couple hours later, when I had once again regained control of my emotions—_conceal, don't feel_, I kept chanting—that there was a knock on my door. I put Princess Marianne back on my dresser and stood, clasping my gloved hands in front of me.

"Come in," I called out.

Mr. Xavier opened the door and stepped inside. When I looked down I saw the once torn papers clutched in one hand. They had been taped back together, but the tear down the middle was still clear as day.

"I believe these belong to you," he said as he walked over to me. "Mr. Engebretsen told me you were reading them during class and that you got upset when he tried to take them away from you."

I turned my head away. There was nobody I wanted to see right now—not even Mr. Xavier. "It's not about the papers."

"I know." He reached over and placed the taped pages on my dresser, right next to Anna's doll. "So what is this about?"

There were so many things. I wasn't upset about the paper, not really. It's not like I couldn't tape it back together because it was still readable, even ripped. But it was the straw that broke the camel's back. For days now I had felt more and more resentment against Mr. Engebretsen. But that wasn't even half of what upset me. It was the voice—the strange voice I heard in my head, whispering violent thoughts to me. It was the split second where I lost control and actually thought about _hurting_ Mr. Engebretsen. My face burned with shame as I recalled it. How could I explain to Mr. Xavier my fear that I was slowly becoming the monster that I vowed I never would be? I couldn't tell him about the voice in my head either. He would think I was crazy, and I couldn't bear to have the one person who accepted me for who I was, turn against me.

"I can't control my emotions," I finally whispered. "Even with your training…it…there's still so much fear."

"Fear of what?"

"Everything. Becoming a monster. People finding out." I gave a gulp. "No matter what, no matter how good I get at aiming or how comfortable I become using my powers, I'm still afraid."

"I see."

I looked down at the ground. "I'm sorry about what happened. I lost control and I almost hurt him. I've become a monster."

"No, you're not a monster. A monster wouldn't feel remorse for their actions. The fact that you regret losing control just proves that you're not one." At his kind tone—his ever encouraging words, even when I didn't deserve them—I felt even more trust and admiration for him. "You were both in the wrong, though. You may not like him, and he may not be perfect, but he's your teacher, and you must follow his rules. If he asks you to wait until class is over to read a letter, you should listen to him." He took in a deep breath. "On that same note, if he ever asks you to do something you think is unjust or he treats you unfairly, come and talk to me. I'm here to help you, Elsa."

I nodded. "I know…I'm sorry I lost my temper. I'm going to apologize to him, I just need a few minutes."

"Take your time," he said. "Needless to say, classes are cancelled for today."

As he walked out I closed my eyes and laid back down on my bed. I had lost control today, but I wouldn't do so again. _I won't hurt anyone ever again,_ I told myself. Almost as soon as I thought it, the voice from earlier piped up.

_They will fear you no matter what you do—so give them a good reason to. They will never accept you for who you are—so stop trying to fit in. They will never see your powers as gifts—so stop trying to hide them. Embrace it and show them what you are capable of._

I felt my breath stall in my throat as I lurched up in bed, heart pounding. Where was that voice coming from? Was it my subconscious?

_No, Mr. Xavier says we can show them a better path. They only fear us because they don't understand us,_ I argued back, feeling incredibly silly. Surely talking back to the voices in one's head wasn't a good idea. But before I could think on it, the voice replied.

_Your family understands—and yet they still fear you. If they can't even accept you, what makes you think anybody else will? What makes you think Mr. Xavier is right?_

_He knows what I'm going through. He has faith in the humans, and so do I._

_He doesn't know what you're going through—how could he? His powers are gone. Even when he had them, he never lived in fear of hurting anyone because of them. He believes in humans because he's only ever seen them at their best. He lived a sheltered life, he knows nothing about pain and suffering. He's never been hunted down or persecuted because of his gifts. But he's right about one thing—they _do_ fear you. They fear you because you're more powerful than they'll ever be. They fear you because you are superior to them._

_Who are you?_ I finally asked.

There was a pause before the voice responded. _Someone who understands._

The voice didn't say anymore, and I didn't dare respond. Was I going insane? Deciding the best course of action would be to ignore it, I swung my legs over the side of my bed and stood. I should go and apologize to Mr. Engebretsen.

* * *

The next couple of days my lessons with Mr. Engebretsen were tense. Even after I apologized, he only gave a curt nod before telling me classes were cancelled for the day, stating that the room needed to be cleaned up before it could be used. It was completely ice-free the next day, probably thanks to Hank. He seemed to be the one to clean up the ice messes whenever there was an accident.

After the day's lessons were over I decided to go and find Mr. Xavier to ask if we would be having our training session today. After the last session where I destroyed the mannequins, he said he was working on a new design for our lessons, but wasn't sure how long it would take.

As I neared his office I could hear his voice drifting from the room. A moment later I heard Hank's voice answer. What could they be talking about? I stalled in the hallway, torn between curiosity and what was right. It would be wrong to eavesdrop, but I was curious as to what they were talking about. Finally I decided to just walk up to the door and knock on it. If I heard something…well, they couldn't accuse me of eavesdropping because I wasn't hiding outside the room or anything.

"Are you sure this will work?" I heard Mr. Xavier ask. I paused outside the room, my hand only inches away from the wooden door. Curiosity rooted me in place. What could they be talking about?

"Yeah. I based the designs off Cerebro, but instead of amplifying the brain power, it compresses it to create an illusion inside the mind—a simulation of sorts. You'll be able to view it on this screen so you can monitor her progress—shut down the system if you need to."

Surprised jolted through me. Were they talking about me? It sounded like they were planning on using me to test out some new device.

"Thank you, Hank," Mr. Xavier replied. Before I could move, the door opened to reveal Hank. He jumped a little when he saw me, but then a smile started pulling at his lips as he turned to face Mr. Xavier.

"Looks like someone was curious," he said before brushing past me. I gave a gulp and bit down on my lip as my gaze met Mr. Xavier.

"Come in. I was just discussing a new method of training." When I saw that he wasn't upset about me overhearing their plans, I walked over and took a seat in the chair in front of his desk. "When you mentioned fear the other day, I decided that the best way to overcome fear is to face it, but obviously we can't let you just go out and practice it, so Hank developed a machine that will make you think you're actually experiencing a situation. It will help you control your powers because the machine makes you believe the experience is real."

I felt my eyes widen. "But what if I panic and accidentally break the machine?"

He smiled. "Hank has given the room improvements to make sure it's Elsa proof."

I felt a smile tug at my lips. "Then I'm ready."

* * *

**Any guesses on who 'The Voice' is? ;)**

**I've had more people asking me if the Days Of Future Past will play a part in this. I've answered it before in a previous chapter, but upon reading my response again, I can see how it was vague. So, here it is: No, Days Of Future Past will play no part in this story. Logan won't be appearing (and if he does, it'll be a small little cameo like in First Class). I'm not following the sentinel/time travel storyline, I'm just taking the backstory (Charles being able to walk, Erik being locked up, the school being shut down) and using that in mine. Everything else that happens from now on is my own plot (until the events of Frozen come into play, that is). I'm sorry if you were excited to see how DOFP was going to fit in, but I can promise I have a really awesome plot in mind for this story.**

**And I'm so sorry it took like, three months to get this chapter out, but I definitely haven't forgotten about it! I've been busy with another story that's almost finished, so as soon as that's done, I'll have more time to work on this and hopefully get more chapters out sooner. Thanks for being so patience with this.**

**A big thanks to everyone who followed, favorited, and reviewed! :)**


	8. Let It Go

Chapter Eight – Let It Go

As we walked down the corridor of the basement in the west wing, I instinctively walked up to the door that led to my training room. I stood there for a few moments before realizing Mr. Xavier was still walking down the hallway. Scrambling after him, I looked around at the other doors that lined the pristine white walls. I had never been farther down this hallway than the room we trained in.

Mr. Xavier finally came to a stop in front of a room that had a label written across the top—Danger Room._ That_ couldn't mean anything good. Uneasiness crept up inside the pit of my stomach. He opened the door to reveal a circular room with white walls. There was nothing inside—no windows, doors, or even chairs. It was completely bare. As I took a step inside and started to inspect the room, I realized he wasn't following me. I turned back around and raised an eyebrow.

"Aren't you coming in?" I asked.

"No, you'll be in here by yourself—"

I felt fear jolt through me. "You mean I'll be alone during—"

"No," he interrupted before I could continue. "It will only feel like you're alone, but I'll be in the control room next door, watching everything from a screen. I'll be able to see you the entire time, even though you won't be able to see me. If anything goes wrong, I'll immediately shut down the system, do you understand?" I pushed my protests to the back of my mind and gave a nod. "Now, I'm going to invent a situation where you'll be facing a fear of yours. The goal is to remain calm as long as possible and practice controlling your powers under pressure. Keep your wits about you and look for a way out." He took a step back and grabbed the wooden door edge, slowly closing it. "I'm going to start the simulation in a minute or two. You just stand in the middle of the room and remain calm. Good luck."

I could feel my confidence from earlier slowly fading. My legs felt numb as I made my way to the center of the room, and I had to clasp my hands in front of me to stop them from shaking. What if I completely failed? What if I freaked out the second the simulation started? Hitting targets seemed like child's play compared to this.

I closed my eyes and took in a few deep breaths.

A couple minutes later a mechanical humming sound filled the air, and the walls seemed to emit a strange blue glow. I closed my eyes against the bright light, and when I opened them again a moment later I found myself surrounded by people—more than I had seen in my entire life.

I could hear the deafening chatter all around me of a thousand conversations going on all at once. Eyes scanned over me and quickly passed, but with every passing second my fear heightened—my fear of making a mistake and being discovered. My breath came quicker and I could feel my vision start to turn blue as people accidentally bumped into me. I was trapped in a crowd of people with no way out. I curled my hands into fists and clutched them close to my chest, trying to make myself as small as possible.

I closed my eyes, trying to remember my training._ Conceal, don't feel. Don't let it show._

My breathing calmed at the familiar mantra. When I opened my eyes again, I began looking around for any way I could escape the sea of people. Mr. Xavier said I had to remain calm as long as possible and look for a way out.

Suddenly I felt someone shove me and I stumbled forward, bumping into a woman wearing a business suit. I quickly caught myself, but the woman wasn't so lucky. She fell to the ground, the contents of her purse spilling out all over the ground.

My hands automatically reached out to help her pick up her things, but then immediately paused. I didn't want to accidentally freeze her things and make her even more angry. She let out a huff when I pulled my arms back, once again hugging them close to my chest.

"I'm so sorry," I said once she had picked up her items. She tugged at the blue jacket of her business suit, straightening it out before fixing me a glare. Her piercing green eyes froze me in place.

"Why don't you watch where you're going next ti—"

Suddenly her whole body froze, and she stopped mid-sentence with her mouth still wide open. I thought maybe she had to sneeze, but after a few moments I realized she wasn't even breathing.

"Ma'am?" I questioned softly. As I tilted my head at her, I suddenly realized everyone around me had frozen where they were, as if someone had cast a spell over them. I let out a gasp, and I could feel my emotions taking over—sending me into a panic. Ice spread out beneath my feet.

"Mr. Xavier?" I called out, my voice small even to my own ear. "I think the machine is broken."

"It's not broken, I've only paused it," a voice called out. It was the voice from two days ago—the voice I had heard in my head. Only, it wasn't in my head anymore—it was audible. I turned towards the voice and saw a flash of color. A woman wearing a white dress stepped out from the sea of people and into my view. White, knee-high boots clicked against the hard tile floor as she walked over to me. My eyes widened when I realized it was the same woman I met at the Statue of Liberty. _That_ was why her voice sounded so familiar—I'd heard it only a few weeks before!

"You! Who are you? How are you here?"

"My name is Emma Frost, and I'm here to help you," she stated.

"No, y-you were in my head earlier! You made me want to hurt Mr. Engebretsen!" I cried, taking a step back. "Mr. Xavier! Help!"

She smirked. "He can't hear you, I've frozen him."

My panic turned into sheer fear. Did she have the same powers as me? She said she _froze_ him, and her last name was Frost. Could there really be others out there with powers like mine? I thought about Mr. Xavier in the other room—cold and trapped in ice. My vision turned blue as my breath came quicker. If she'd hurt Mr. Xavier, I'd hurt her. The ice sprung to my fingertips and I felt a new sense of clarity. As anger washed over me, I found focus and control. I narrowed my eyes at her and lifted a hand.

"You unfreeze him right now—or I'll freeze you!"

"You can't harm me, sugar. This is only a projection of myself into your subconscious, and don't worry about your dear old professor. He's not actually frozen, only his mind. It's paused, so we could have a chance to talk."

"Putting thoughts in my head wasn't enough?" I snapped. "You're a monster! You invaded my mind and told me to hurt Mr. Engebretsen!"

She narrowed her eyes as her smile grew wider. "You use your abilities, and I use mine. Besides, I didn't plant thoughts into your head that weren't already there. You wanted to hurt your tutor _before_ I spoke to you, just like a few seconds ago when you wanted to hurt _me._" Flipping a blonde lock over her shoulder she shrugged. With a sharp intake of breath, I realized she was right. Who was I becoming? "I only want to help you, Elsa."

I glanced up at her with a frown. "Help me? How?"

"To offer you a chance to be part of a greater cause—to be with people who understand you. I belong to a brotherhood of mutants who are fighting for our right to stop hiding. Join us, Elsa, and be who you truly are without the fear."

"I can be who I am _here_."

She raised an eyebrow, calm expression never once wavering. "Yes, stay here with a bunch of people who pretend to understand you—a tutor who hates mutants, and two mutant teachers who try and pretend that they're normal. Is that the life you want, Elsa? To hide yourself away and live in fear of your powers being discovered? Don't you want to be free?"

_Freedom_, I thought to myself. Wasn't that what I wanted when I came here? I remembered talking to Emma at the Statue of Liberty.

"You said freedom was a lie."

"It is—to those who are unwilling to fight for it. If you sit back and do nothing, you'll never be free. Humans have always feared those who are different from them—they will always hate what they don't understand. That's why we formed our own team of mutants. You could accomplish great things, Elsa. We could teach you how to control your powers. Join our cause, Elsa, and fight for your freedom."

"I _know_ what you want to do," I said, taking a step back. "You want me to use my powers to hurt people and make them fear me. I know right from wrong, and what you want me to do is wrong."

"Right and wrong—good and evil—it's all relative," she said with a shrug. "Tell me this, Elsa, if someone tries to attack you, do you have the right to defend yourself?"

"Yes, but the humans haven't attacked us."

"They have. Did Charles ever tell you what happened the day of the Cuban Missile Crisis? Charles and his team were fighting for the humans. They wanted to save them, and do you know what the humans did once they discovered the mutants? They turned their guns on them and tried to wipe them out. The only reason they haven't killed us yet is because we hide from them. Do you really think they wouldn't hunt us down and kill us if they knew where we were? That's the only reason we're safe—because we've gone into hiding...but we shouldn't have to."

"We can show them a better path."

She smiled. "That's Charles speaking, not you."

"But he's right. They don't have to fear us. My parents didn't fear me until I hurt my sister."

"Exactly. All it took was one _small_ accident for their acceptance to turn into fear. Even if you hadn't hurt your sister, how long do you think it could have lasted? What would they have said when they saw how your powers grew stronger day by day? What do you think they would have done once they realized that you could wipe them out with a single flick of your wrist?" She had a calm, calculated way of speaking that unnerved me. The scariest part was—she was telling the truth. Even before I hurt Anna I caught glimpses of that unspoken fear in their eyes.

"They will _always_ grow to fear us, and that fear will turn into hatred." The troll had said the same thing after healing Anna—people would fear me if they discovered my powers. I could still remember the pure, white light representing the humans before it turned a terrible crimson red. They turned on my white form and destroyed me just as he said, _"Fear will be your enemy."_ The humans feared me—the humans were my enemy. I looked down at the ground and clenched my hands into fists, trying to hold onto the control I had experienced before. "Even when your parents didn't fear you, they never truly accepted you. I read their minds when they were in New York. I know their feelings towards you—towards your powers. They always wished you had been born more _normal_—like your sister. They searched endlessly for ways to hide your powers—or take them away. That's why they took you to Charles." She took a step closer, her expression softening. "They could never see your powers for what they are—gifts. And if your own family can't even accept you, what makes you think others will? But I know someone who can help you."

"Charles is helping me."

"Charles is lying to you, Elsa," she said. At her accusation my eyes snapped up to meet hers, narrowing in suspicion.

"No, he wouldn't lie to me."

"He has. He didn't _lose_ his powers like he told you. He's taking a serum that suppresses them."

Her words gave me a sense of déjà vu, and in an instant, I realized why they sounded so familiar. I let out a gasp. "_You_ were controlling Mr. Engebretsen's mind! You made him say all those horrible things!"

She gave me a smug smile. "I didn't need to control his mind. Your tutor is capable of sticking his foot in his mouth all by himself. He's smarter than people give him credit for. He was right about Chares lying to you." She must have read my mind, or seen in my eyes that I didn't believe a word she said, because she continued, "Check Charles room. In the top drawer of his desk is a case containing the serum. Try it out for yourself—see if it doesn't suppress your powers."

"You're just trying to turn me against him—but it won't work, because I _know_ he wouldn't lie to me! What reason would he have?"

She gave a shrug. "Any number of reasons. Perhaps _he_ wants to use _you_. Perhaps he's lonely. Perhaps he even sees you as a replacement for Raven. He's said it so many times to Hank—how much you remind him of her."

It was like a sting to my heart to hear that. I didn't want to be a replacement for someone else he lost—I wanted to be special to Charles. I wanted to just be Elsa.

"I am _not_ a replacement," I whispered. "I'm not like Raven. She betrayed him and left him."

She tilted her head to the side. "Is that what he told you? Because she tells the story a little differently. She ran away from Charles because he forced her to hide her true form. He made her feel ashamed of what she was, so she went with someone who accepted her—Erik. She has embraced who she is and left her old life behind. That's why she couldn't stay—because Charles has always wanted someone weak and scared that he could look after. Perhaps that's why you remind him so much of who Raven once was."

I curled my hands into fists. "I am not weak."

She chuckled. "Of course you aren't, but that's not how Charles views you. You're a broken toy to him—a project that he thinks he can fix."

"You're a liar!"

She tilted her head up, looking down on me. "Just keep telling yourself that, sugar."

"You're the bad guy, why would I listen to you?"

"Let me guess—Charles told you that?" When I didn't answer, she smirked. "I guess if you think fighting for the rights of mutants all around the world is a bad thing, then the Brotherhood could be classified as the 'bad guys'. However, to most mutants Magneto is a savior. He's has always put us first, unlike Charles. Your dear old professor sides with the humans who want to wipe us out."

I wanted to know more about Erik—I had since Mr. Xavier first told me about his powers—and I clearly wasn't going to get any information from him. "What is Erik like?"

"He's strong and driven. He wants to bring about a new era for mutants—one where we can live without the fear of being hunted down and killed for our gifts."

"And where is he now?"

"Locked away by the same people who you claim can be shown 'a better path'."

"What did he do?"

"He was accused of killing the president."

My breath caught in my throat. I recognized this piece of information. Nearly three years ago, the American president was assassinated. Was that why Charles said he was a monster? Because he killed the president?

Emma must have read my mind because she said, "He didn't kill him, though. He was trying to save him."

I furrowed my eyebrows. "But why?"

"Because he was a mutant."

My heart stalled in my chest. Was it possible? All this time, the president was a mutant and he'd been hiding it—just like me. How many others were there out there that I knew of—who were hiding out of fear just like me?

"He doesn't want mutants to live in fear any longer. You don't know the horrors of the world because you were sheltered, but he wasn't. He was tortured—experimented on—because of his mutation."

My breath caught in my throat and my eyes widened. Were there really humans who experimented on mutants? Surely there were laws against that. Even if we had powers that normal people didn't, what gave them the right to do that? We were still living beings. Didn't we have rights too?

Emma suddenly smirked. "I can read your fear, Elsa. You don't know the cruelty of humans, but I do. Trust me when I say they'll never change—they'll never accept you and your powers. But I know people who will. Magneto knows how it feels to be alone and scared. He understands you better than Charles. Erik sees the world how it is, not how he wishes it could be."

I steeled my jaw. "Mr. Xavier said there were mutants who wanted to kill all the humans so only we would be left, and I know he meant Erik. I don't want to hurt anyone. If we can only show them that we don't want to hurt them, then maybe they'll leave us alone."

"The real world doesn't work like that. They'll never accept you, but you're too blind to see that—just like Charles. In the end, they'll always fear you. The only thing Magneto can be accused of is giving them something to fear. He wants us to be free, and instead of sitting back and living under a delusion, he's fighting for it. But go ahead and see what they do to you once they find out what your powers are. See how they react when they see who you truly are. Don't you remember the fear in your parent's eyes? The fear in your sister's eyes had she retained her memories?"

_That_ sparked my anger. "You don't know my sister!"

"I know humans."

Before I could respond a kaleidoscope of images flashed before me. Pain rocketed through my body as I saw hate-filled eyes staring down at me.

"Look at the memories of your fellow mutants, and see what they have seen." Emma's voice seemed to drift into my consciousness like a whisper. The images and feelings were overpowering.

_Pain. Suffering. Loneliness._

"Mystique."

The scenes changed, and I saw two people standing in front of me—a man and a woman. Her thoughts—my thoughts—they were one. They were shouting, screaming at me in horror. I could see the disgust in their eyes, and looked down to see blue skin. They tried to kill me. Our thoughts were scattered—frightened, and my mind provided me with the missing information—these people were her parents. They hated us.

"Magneto."

Everything faded away and was replaced with a new image. I was walking through the mud in the rain, surrounded by others like me. Everything was grey—there was no color in this place.

_Auschwitz_.

The scene switched and suddenly there was a woman in striped grey clothes standing behind me. Her voice was frightened—scared. A gunshot rang through the room. There was a dull thud, and I turned to see her lying there in a heap on the ground. Two armed guards stood beside her, unaffected by the murder.

_Mother._

Then there were brief flashes of memories that sent me to my knees. I screamed out in agony and terror as I was tortured. They were only scattered fragments, but they sent ice flying out in all directions, blasting everyone around me.

"Stop it! _Stop!_" I screamed, bringing my hands up to my head.

Suddenly they all stopped—but my fear and racing heart didn't slow down.

"All your life people have been trying to change you—to contain you. When you decide that you want to be free…you know where to find me."

Suddenly she disappeared and everything started to move around me. Then—there was screaming. There were unconscious bodies around me—those I had hit when I let out a blast of ice. Terror filled their eyes as they turned away and ran in panic. A snowstorm began to whip around me, and my vision was clouded by a thick layer of blue.

As they fled, I was trampled. I was pushed and shoved and it only made me more scared. I tried to stand, but my knees gave out. Bringing my hands up to my head, I bend over and tried to make myself as small as possible. The whole world was blue—I couldn't see anything.

"Make it stop! Make it stop!" I cried as the wind whipped and the ice cracked. I could feel ice cold tears streaming down my cheeks.

Suddenly there was silence, and the people seemed to vanish. Then there was the sound of a door opening a moment later.

"Elsa! It's all right! You're all right, it's not real. Just calm your mind." It was Mr. Xavier's voice.

I didn't want him to see me like this. I wanted to be strong for him. My hands tangled in my hair, trying to find control, but fear had me in its icy grip.

"Conceal, don't feel. Conceal, don't feel. Conceal, don't feel," I chanted to myself. Two gloved hands covered mine and slowly pulled my hands away from my head, then cupped each side of my face, raising it.

"Elsa, open your eyes. You're all right, I'm right here," he whispered.

Everything was a violent shade of blue—the storm inside of me raged on. But as I stared at his calming blue eyes, I felt my senses clear. My fear faded, and so did the blue, until it was only his blue eyes left that held that color. It was then that I noticed I was still mumbling that chant. When I stopped Mr. Xavier frowned. I wrapped my arms around myself, as if I could hold it all in.

"Elsa, that chant isn't helping you at all."

"It's all I've ever known," I whispered, fingers tightening around my arms.

"Then I'm going to give you a new one." At this I looked up to meet his gaze. "When you're scared, say this—let it go. Let go of your fears, everyone's expectations. Just let it all go."

"Let it go," I repeated, testing it out.

He smiled. "Yes, that's it. Let it go."

I said it a few more times, memorizing it. When he saw that I wasn't scared anyone he wiped away my tears with his thumb. The fabric of his outfit felt smooth against my skin, sending another wave of calm through my mind.

"What happened?" he asked, pulling away. "You were doing so well, and then all of the sudden you were on the floor with ice everywhere."

I swallowed the lump in my throat. Should I tell him about Emma Frost? I already looked weak, he might think I was even more pathetic if he knew how she could invade my mind. Surely only the weak of mind could have their mind assaulted, and I didn't want him to think of me as some project. I was more than some broken toy for him to fix, and I wanted him to see that. Strong, brave, loyal—I could be all those things for him.

"I just panicked," I lied, looking him straight in the eyes. "It won't happen again."

"Elsa, it's all right to make mistakes. It's part of learning."

"I know, but it won't happen again. I can be brave and strong, I know I can," I said with determination.

He must have believed me, because he gave a nod. "I know you are those things."

I felt a little bit of accomplishment at that, and gave him a smile. Seeing that I was feeling better, he gave me a pat on the shoulder. "I'll give you a few minutes to recover, and then we can try again."

He offered me a hand and helped me stand, walking me to the door. My legs felt like putty beneath me and I could still feel the pain of Emma's memory assault, but I was determined to keep it all hidden from Mr. Xavier. He couldn't know how scared I was, or how weak I felt. No matter what, I had to hold it in.

After a few minutes I felt better, and walked back into the Danger Room—ready to try again. As the machine warmed up I rubbed my hands up and down my arms. My skin still tingled where Erik and Raven had been tortured and attacked in the past. Mr. Xavier told me Erik was a monster…but after seeing his past, was it really so hard to understand why he acted the way he did?

* * *

Emma frowned as she pulled away from Elsa's mind and released the freeze she held on Charles. Just as she broke the link, Mystique walked in. Her yellow eyes held all the anticipation she had been feeling.

"Did it work?"

Emma frowned. "No, I need more time. Charles has his claws deep in this one. She'll believe anything he says."

Mytisque let out a noise of discontentment. "Keep trying. You know what Destiny said—Elsa is the key to freeing Erik."

Just as Emma was about to respond a woman walked in, her unseeing eyes roaming over the two women in the room. "Mystique is right—you must keep trying. The child is our answer to rescuing Erik, yes, but her destiny extends far beyond that. If swayed to our side, she could be the answer to freeing ourselves from the humans."

"If she's that important, why not have Emma control her mind?" Mystique asked.

Destiny held up a hand to her friend. "No, that was not part of the prophecy. She must come of her own free will, or not at all."

"It will be hard to turn her against Charles. She's extremely loyal to him—even to the point of blind trust," Emma said.

"I was once that way," Mystique interjected. "If we had Erik here he could convince her. He was the one who showed me what it really was to be free."

"This girl is similar to you, but also different," Destiny said. "She trusts Charles, yes, but she is still fragile. We need to focus on making her feel alone. For years she has relied on herself, so she's used to holding it all in. If we could get her to shut Charles out, we'd be one step closer to breaking her."

"Breaking her?" Mystique asked, furrowing her eyebrows.

"Once we break her, we can put the pieces back together any way we choose. She'll see us as her salvation and trust us." Destiny turned her head in Emma's direction. "That's what you need to focus on—isolating her from everyone and then turning her against herself. Make her think that even she is beyond being helped by Charles. Emma, you said she hates her tutor—so use that to your advantage. Make her _really_ hate him."

"I don't need to interfere to make that happen," Emma stated with a smile. "She already resents him. With a little more prodding on her end, I think I could make her act on it."

"Great. Once she does, she'll see herself as a monster."

Suddenly Emma's head perked up, and she glanced off into space. She narrowed her eyes and after a moment or two, she smiled. "I can read her now. She's holding it all in because she wants to appear strong for Charles."

Destiny smiled at that new piece of information. "So it's only a matter of time before she snaps."

* * *

**For those who don't recognize her, Destiny is a character from the comics, and she'll be important later on.**

**Thanks to everyone who followed, favorited, and commented! :)**


	9. Trust

Chapter Nine - Trust

I walked out of the Danger Room feeling defeated. After trying the simulation three more times—and failing one—I was done. Emma's words and memories had affected me more than I cared to admit…but I didn't let Mr. Xavier know. I told him I was tired, but I could tell he didn't entirely believe it. How could I prove to him that I was strong when I couldn't even pass a simple simulation? I kept my gaze on the shining white floors as I walked down the hallway.

"Elsa!" Mr. Xavier called out after me. I stopped walking, but didn't turn around. "Elsa, look at me." Slowly, I turned to face him. In his eyes I saw a look that I had seen in them so many times before. It used to calm me, because very rarely was I looked at with any emotion other than fear, but this time it only filled me with irritation. It was _pity._ For me—like I was some pathetic little thing that needed to be taken care of. I didn't want his pity. "We can all use a helping hand sometimes. That's nothing to be ashamed of."

_Yeah, everyone except you, _I thought as I narrowed my eyes at him._ You never need help with anything_. I had to be strong for him—just like I had been strong for Anna when I shut her out. I _had_ to. "I don't need help, I'm fine."

"Elsa—" he began.

"I'm just tired."

He pressed his lips into a fine line, and it was clear to see that he didn't believe me. After a tense few seconds of silence, he let out a small sigh. "All right. Go up to your room and rest. Dinner will be ready in an hour or so. We can try this again tomorrow."

Dread filled me at the thought of trying the simulation again, but I choked back my protests and gave a confident nod. "Okay."

Once I got back to my room I lay on my bed and stared up at the ceiling. I wasn't tired—even after all I had been through today. My eyes caught sight of the red radio Mr. Xavier had given me when I first arrived, so I sat up and reached over to turn it on. As my fingers brushed over the knob, I suddenly noticed Princess Marianne sitting next to the radio. At the thought of Anna my eyes strayed over to the letter I had laid on my desk a couple days ago. I'd completely forgotten to write back.

I stood and walked over to my desk, immediately pulling out a piece of paper and pencil. As I sat down to write a response, I read over Anna's letter again, smiling at everything she'd said. She was always so happy, and I was glad to see _that_ hadn't changed, even though I was gone. I propped her papers up on the wall my desk rested against and began to write.

_"Yes, all my doctors are nice. There's one named Hank that I don't really like, but we tolerate each other. I only really see him walking around the hallways or when we're served lunch and dinner. But there's another doctor named Mr. Xavier, and he's one of the nicest people I've ever met. He's helped me a lot with my…"_ I felt my hand stall, and had to force myself to write the next word._ "condition. I can already feel myself getting better. And want to know something really great? They let me have chocolate here! Well, Mr. Xavier does. But don't tell mama or papa!"_

I couldn't bring myself to comment about the gates being opened back up, so I moved on to the next few paragraphs, which were just Anna telling me about what had happened since I left, and about random things that she did during the day. I caught myself smiling at her antics and all the trouble she managed to get herself into. At the very end she asked me to send her pictures of the hospital and all the friends I'd made.

When I left home I hadn't brought a camera with me—I didn't even _own_ a camera back home—and I couldn't leave this house, so how would I get one? My eyes shifted over to the drawer where I had put the American money my parents gave me before they left. Pulling the drawer out and sliding open the drawstring purse, I pulled out a fifty dollar bill. That should be enough, right? I still wasn't too familiar with American currency and how much things cost over here. I obviously couldn't go to the store myself, but I knew Hank went out every once in a while to restock on things like food and other necessities. If I gave Mr. Xavier the money he could ask Hank to buy the camera for me.

_"I'll ask Mr. Xavier for a camera so I can send some pictures in my next letter. I really miss you, Anna, and I can't wait until I get better so I can come home._

_Love, your sister, Elsa."_

I folded the paper and stuck it in an envelope, then wrote the address on the outside and placed a stamp in the corner. I propped the envelope up in front of Anna's letters and left my room with the fifty dollar bill in hand. When I came to Mr. Xavier's room I gave a knock.

"Come in." I grabbed the handle and pushed the door open. Mr. Xavier looked up from his desk and furrowed his eyebrows when he saw it was me. "Elsa?"

"I was wondering if you could ask Hank to buy me a camera next time he goes to the store. My sister wants me to send her pictures. I know I can't reveal too much since she thinks it's a hospital, but I was thinking maybe I could take a few pictures to show her." I strolled forward and walked around the desk, holding out the money towards him. "I think this should be enough."

He smiled as he took the money from my hand. "I think that's a wonderful idea, Elsa. Hank went to the store a couple days ago, so he won't need to make another trip for about a week or two, so I'll just swing by the store right now and get it."

He stood and placed a hand on my shoulder, walking me to the door, then nodded towards my bedroom down the hall. "I should be back by dinner. How about you go rest, or work on some homework until then?"

I nodded and Mr. Xavier gave my shoulder a pat before disappearing down the stairs. Just as I was about to head back to my room I turned and saw that Mr. Xavier had forgotten to close his door. I grabbed the handle and went to pull it shut when I saw that a few papers from his desk had fallen onto the floor. Either I or Mr. Xavier had probably knocked them over when we walked past the desk. I stepped inside and walked over to the papers. Crouching down, I scooped them up and placed them back on his desk. My eyes glanced over all the things on his desk and drifted down to the drawers. Suddenly Emma's words from earlier today rang through my head: _"Check Charles room. In the top drawer of his desk is a case containing the serum."_

Just like that my breath stalled in my throat as I stared at the simple wooden drawer with new interest. Emma was the bad guy and bad guys _always_ lied, so why did her words make doubts appear in my mind? This was obviously what she wanted—to make me doubt Mr. Xavier. She wanted to turn me against him, just like Eric had done with Raven. She probably thought I'd be too scared to open the drawer and would just assume she was telling the truth. The desire to open the drawer and see what was inside was nearly overwhelming, even if only to prove to myself that Emma had lied to me.

I took one last glance at the open door to make sure nobody was standing outside, then drew in a deep breath and reached forward. My hands shook as I closed my fingers around the brass handle and gave a tug. I shouldn't be doing this. Mr. Xavier would be hurt and disappointed that I'd not _only_ invaded his privacy, but that I doubted him enough to snoop around in his personal belongs. I was so sick and tired of everyone trying to turn me against Mr. Xavier. Ever since I came here three weeks ago all he'd ever done was help me try to control my powers. He would never lie to me, I knew that…so why was I doing this?

The drawer was open, but I couldn't bring myself to look down. Maybe if I just peeked inside it would give me some peace of mind. After this I would never doubt Mr. Xavier ever again. _Never_, no matter what anyone else said. Taking a deep breath, I looked down to see a rectangular tin box resting inside. I reached down and picked it up, opening the lid. I gasped at what I found. Inside, all lined up in a row, were vials of amber colored liquid. On top of the clear vials was a syringe. A sour taste rose up in my throat and I felt a sickening feeling in the pit of my stomach. There had to be a logical explanation for this.

Emma's words once again rang through my mind: "_Try it out for yourself—see if it doesn't suppress your powers."_

No, this has gone on long enough. _You want to put your full trust in Mr. Xavier?_ I scolded myself. _Then this is the time to show it. He wouldn't lie to you. All Emma wants to do is turn you against Mr. Xavier, and so far she's succeeded. You've already broken his trust, haven't you? Don't make it worse._

My fingers moved to the clear plastic vials and brushed against the cool surface. If I took one out and tried it on myself, there would be no turning back. This wouldn't help me trust Mr. Xavier more; it would only show I was already past trusting him. I made a promise to myself right then and there that I would never doubt Mr. Xavier again. He had proven time and time again that he could be trusted. He had never lied to me, and he never would. I just had to stop letting other people fill my head with doubts.

In one quick motion I snapped the lid closed, placed the box in the drawer, and slammed it shut. I had just made a promise to myself that I was through with not trusting him, and this was me keeping that promise. With a renewed sense of hope I walked out of the room and closed the door behind me.

* * *

Mr. Xavier arrived back just before dinner with my new camera in hand. He moved his chair next to mine and explained how to use it while Hank finished preparing the meal. As soon as he handed me the camera, I took a picture of everyone seated around the dinner table. The photo immediately shot out, but I had to wait a few minutes before the picture finally materialized.

Mr. Xavier was facing the camera with a smile on his face, and Hank had just started to set the food on the table, so he looked a little caught off guard, with only half of a smile tugging at his lips. Mr. Engebretsen sat as far away from everyone else as the table would allow, and only half of his face appeared in the photo, but it was enough to tell that he wasn't smiling. It didn't really matter, though, because Anna never really liked him anyway. She would want to know all about Hank and Mr. Xavier.

I put the photo aside and concentrated on the fish Hank had cooked for supper. About halfway through dinner I noticed Mr. Xavier reaching down to rub his legs, as if they were bothering him. Just as I was about to ask if he was all right he abruptly stood and placed his napkin on the table, food only half finished.

"Excuse me," he said before hurrying from the room. I glanced around the table to see Mr. Engebretsen paying almost no heed to him, while Hank wore a disapproving frown on his face.

"I'll be right back," he said as he stood, then hurried off in the direction Mr. Xavier had gone. What was going on?

I looked back at Mr. Engebretsen. He was looking in the direction both my teachers had disappeared with confusion in his eyes. After a moment or two, however, he just gave a shrug and went back to his food. I played with the end of the tablecloth, worry filling me. What if something had happened to Mr. Xavier? I set my napkin on the table and stood from my seat.

"I'm going to see if Mr. Xavier is all right."

"I'm sure he's fine," Mr. Engebretsen said with a dismissive sweep of his hand, but he didn't try to stop me.

I hurried up the stairs, and as I approached Mr. Xavier's room I could hear elevated voices coming from inside. They weren't yelling, but it was obvious there was an argument going on. I knew it was bad to eavesdrop, but something made me tiptoe up to the door and peek inside. My eyes widened when I saw the syringe from earlier clutched in Mr. Xavier's hand. The amber colored liquid was inside, and he had the needle pressed to the tip of his skin, though it didn't look like he had injected any of the medicine yet. His eyes were locked with Hank's, and both men were staring at each other in determination.

"I didn't say anything before because it was just us, but now Elsa is here," Hank said. I furrowed my eyebrows at his words. What did this have to do with me?

"I need this, Hank." Mr. Xavier said, nodding down at the syringe. "Does it look like Elsa isn't learning anything? I can still teach her and train her."

"But you could teach her so much more if you just—"

A flash of irritation sparked in Mr. Xavier's eyes. "What do you want—for me to sit crippled in a wheelchair all day, plagued by all the—?"

Hank held up a hand, interrupting him. "No, I'm only saying that you should ease back on it. You take too much. It's only an experimental drug, we don't know the long-term effects it could have on you."

"I've tried easing back. It's not working."

"It's only been a couple days. You're going through withdrawal, but if you keep easing yourself back from the large doses—"

"I can't take the pain," he said slowly, as if trying to drive his point home.

"I know you've lost a lot, Charles, but this—" Hank pointed to the syringe in his hand. "—isn't helping you. It's just a way for you to live in denial. You have Elsa now, and if you can't be strong for yourself, then be strong for her, because she needs you."

I didn't realize I'd been steadily leaning closer until I felt my balance shift and my body tumbled forward. My head hit the door on the way down, and it let out a loud smack as it swung back and banged against the wall. When I looked up both Hank and Mr. Xavier were staring at me in surprise.

"I'm sorry, I-I didn't mean to eavesdrop," I stuttered, picking myself up and brushing the dust from my skirt. "I was just worried. I wanted to see if you were all right."

Mr. Xavier's expression softened. "Hank and I were just having a discussion."

My eyes wandered to the syringe. He had removed the needle from his skin and it now rested on the desk, still filled with the liquid. What was in it? Was it really dangerous like Hank said? Questions from earlier filled my mind and, despite all attempts to resist the line of thought, Emma's accusations form earlier were at the forefront of my mind. "What is that? What does it do?"

At the question Mr. Xavier stiffened, and I could see Hank narrowing his eyes at him. Both men shared an intense look before blue eyes turned to meet mine once again.

"It's medicine that allows me to walk." Of all the possible explanations that had rushed through my head earlier, that hadn't been one of them.

"Walk?" I asked, furrowing my eyebrows. "But…do you mean you couldn't walk before? I don't understand."

He sucked in a deep breath and then released it, eyes darting away from mine. "A few years ago I was crippled when a bullet hit my spine. This medicine fixes it and allows me to walk. It also helps with the pain."

I could feel all my doubts go away, and my body relaxed in response. I knew it all along—Emma had been lying! She was just trying to turn me against Charles, and she had failed. At this new information I remembered all Hank had been saying—about how Mr. Xavier should ease back from the medicine that was obviously designed to help him.

"Is it dangerous like Hank said?"

Mr. Xavier shook his head. "No, he's just paranoid." Hank shot him a sharp look at the words. I watched as the two men gazed at each other in irritation. The intensity of their gazes left me wondering what it was that I was missing.

"Why don't you want Mr. Xavier to take the medicine that makes him better?" I asked, narrowing my eyes at Hank.

A look of disbelief and irritation crossed his face as he turned to give Mr. Xavier one last heated look. Then he shook his head before walking out of the room, brushing past me. It looked like I had been right about Hank too—he was no good. All those things he said when I first came here about helping Mr. Xavier had just been talk. He didn't seem to care that if Mr. Xavier stopped taking the medicine, he would be in pain and unable to walk. If the medicine hadn't hurt him so far, why did he want him to stop taking it?

"Go back downstairs. I'll be there shortly," Mr. Xavier said before picking the syringe up from where he'd placed it. I nodded and walked back down to the dining room. Hank was sitting at his seat, poking at his food. As I sat down I gave him a withering look before turning my attention back to my food.

* * *

**A week and a half later…**

I shot up in bed, a gasp tearing through my throat. My whole body felt cold, and when I reached down to grab the sheets, I found them frozen stiff. Reaching over with shaking fingers, I managed to flip the switch on my bedside lamp. Light instantly flooded the room, and I saw everything in shades of blue as my heart continued to beat erratically. Ice crackled against the floor as it spread out in all directions.

_Conceal, don't feel. Conceal, don—no, wait, that's not right. Remember what Mr. Xavier said—let it go. Let go of the fear, let go of everyone's expectations…let it go, _I told myself. As strange and unfamiliar a concept as it was to me, the line actually worked. I could feel my racing heart calm, and the raging storm in my mind died down. After years of being told to hide it and keep it all contained, it felt so good to finally tell myself to let it go. If only it worked like that in the simulation…

I let out a sigh as I pushed away the frozen sheets and swung my feet over the edge. The floor was iced over, and I knew Hank wouldn't be too happy when he had to clean it up tomorrow._ Actually, today, _I thought when I glanced over at the clock next to my radio and saw that it was five in the morning.

I didn't want to go back to sleep, and I didn't want to stay in my room. Slipping out of my nightgown, I pulled on some clothes and left my room. I only meant to wander around, but when I saw a faint light coming from the first floor, my curiosity got the best of me and I headed down the stairs. Who could be up at this hour? As soon as I walked into the kitchen I was greeted with the sight of Mr. Xavier standing at the stove, setting a pot of hot water on the burner. He must have heard me walk in, because he turned and raised an eyebrow.

"Elsa? What are you doing up so early?"

I paused in the doorway and debated what I should tell him. All this past week I had tried to be strong for him, but ever since that day when Emma invaded my mind I'd only done worse in the simulations. I couldn't pass even the simplest of tests in the Danger Room. He probably thought I was weak and unable to do anything for myself. If I told him about my nightmare it would only confirm it. I _could_ be strong for him, I just had to keep it all inside.

"I couldn't sleep."

He gave me a small smile and asked, "Well, since you're up, would you like some tea? Or maybe a cup of hot chocolate?" I felt my spirits pick up at the word 'chocolate' and nodded enthusiastically. Mr. Xavier's smile widened and he let out a chuckle. "That's a yes to the hot chocolate, I take it."

Once the water started to boil he took the kettle off the stove and poured it into two mugs he had pulled down from the cupboard. He added a tea bag to one and poured some brown powder into the other. He handed me the cup and took the seat across from me, stirring the water in his mug while waiting for the tea to steep.

"Do you want to talk about your nightmare?"

I felt my chest tighten at the realization that it didn't matter that he'd lost his ability to read minds—he could read _me_ like a book without it. I tightened my grip around the warm mug in my hands. "I never said I had a nightmare."

"You didn't have to."

I lowered my eyes to the brown liquid in my cup and raised it to my lips, taking a sip and hoping he wouldn't question me further.

* * *

_Charles_

I stared at the young girl across from me, wondering how it was we'd managed to come so far in the four and a half weeks she'd been here, only to have her shut me out _now_. It had something to do with that first simulation. Something had caused her to snap in an instant during the test, and after that she had begun to shut me out. She didn't talk so freely anymore, and only gave simple, short answers when I asked her questions. I only wish I knew what was bothering her. She had failed every simulation, and after each failure my attempts to help her were coldly refused. She was different from all my other students—she had been raised to hide her feelings and had grown accustomed to shutting people out. As hard as I tried to break down the walls she'd built around herself, I seemed to meet dead end after dead end. I couldn't make her accept help if she didn't want it. Like the old Chinese proverb went, "Teachers open the door, but you must enter by yourself."

A few tense, strained minutes passed before she spoke, and her voice was barely above a whisper. "It was that memory again—the one where I hurt Anna." It was quiet for a few moments before she looked up to meet my gaze. "I wish you still had your mind control powers so you could just make me forget that memory."

I could feel sympathy stirring in my heart for her. Leaning forward, I rested my elbows on the table and looked straight into her eyes. "Elsa, listen to me—good or bad, our memories make us who we are. If we lose them, we lose a part of ourselves."

"I want to lose that part of myself—the one that caused me to hurt my sister."

It came to me in an instant—_that_ was the main problem. It always went back to that one specific memory—that moment in time when she made a mistake. Painful memories usually made us stronger and played a key role into shaping us into the people we became…but they could also debilitate us—especially the more traumatic ones.

Even when I had my powers I never took away someone's memory unless it was absolutely necessary, like when I had made a few enemy soldiers forget my face, or when I wiped part of Moira's memory to keep the location of the school a secret…but to erase a memory because it caused someone pain? That was another matter entirely, especially since that memory played such a key role in Elsa's life and development. Shutting out her sister, being locked away in her room—none of that would make sense if she had that memory wiped. It could cause her more harm than the actual memory. Even if I had my powers, I wouldn't do that to her. But in that instant a _new_ idea formed in my mind. I couldn't take away her memory, but maybe if I introduced a positive spin on the whole situation…

The plan began to take shape as Elsa shifted her attention back to the hot chocolate. I could use the Danger Room to simulate that specific memory and have her change it—make it so that the accident didn't happen. She would still have the original memory, but she would also have the second memory of not hurting her sister. Going through the memory and not repeating the same mistakes might finally help her move past the event…or it could drive her even further away. Seeing what _could_ have happened might be even more haunting than the memory itself. Her mind would always think, 'if only I hadn't done that, then everything would have been different…' It could either help her or hinder her even more. Only she would know for sure.

"Elsa, I have an idea," I said slowly. Her big blue eyes glanced up at me in questioning. "Come with me."

Elsa took one last sip of the hot chocolate before setting it down and following me from the room. We made our way down the stairs and through the corridors until we finally came to the Danger Room. When she saw the sign on the door, she hugged both arms around herself. "It's too early. I don't want to do a simulation."

I bent down and looked her in the eyes. "This will be different from all the other simulations. Instead of facing a fear, I'm going to bring up your memory of the accident." At my words her eyes widened in fear and she stumbled back.

"No, please. Don't make me—"

"Elsa, listen. Just listen to me," I said, reaching out to place a hand on her shoulder. "The only way you'll be able to move on is if you face your biggest obstacle—what happened that night. But in this simulation, you'll have two choices…" I held up one finger. "One, you can go through the memory and change the outcome—make it so that you don't accidentally hurt your sister. If you think having that happy memory to balance out the other one will help you move past it, then do it."

"What's the second option?"

"The second option is that you can relive the memory with no changes—just go through it. I know it sounds like the first option is the best, but our memories make us stronger. Reliving the memory and facing your biggest fear will help you move forward. It's up to _you_ to decide which one you think will help you more."

"You're…letting _me_ decide?" Her brows creased in worry and panic filled her eyes. "But I…I don't know what to do!"

"I have complete faith in you, Elsa. I know you'll make the best decision for you."

Suddenly, her whole demeanor changed and hope filled her eyes, mixed with disbelief. "You have faith in me?"

"I always have."

She drew in a deep breath before turning her gaze to the door. "Okay. I can do this."

* * *

_Elsa_

The door closed behind me and I was left alone. Every single attempt to pass a simulation test had failed so far, so one where there were no wrong choices should be comforting…but it wasn't. I could feel my hands shaking in fear as the machine began to whir. I'd spent so many years being haunted by this memory. The thought of having to relive it was terrifying. The familiar blue glow filled the room until I had to lift a hand to shield my eyes from the light.

"Do the magic! Do the magic!" my sister's voice called out. My heart stalled in my chest and I lowered my arm to see Anna's five-year-old self before me, excitement shining in her eyes.

"Anna?" I heard my own voice answer her back. I looked down at my hands and clothes, only to find that I had been transformed back into my eight-year-old body.

"Do the magic!" she cried again, jumping up and down. Despite the fact that this memory had caused me so much pain over the past few years, I felt a smile tug at my lips as I formed my hands into a ball and made a snowball appear. I never _could_ tell Anna _no_ back then…

She let out a cry of joy when I threw the snowball up in the air and it exploded into a shimmering flurry of snow. It had been so long since I remembered the _good_ in this memory. For the first time since the accident, the memory wasn't overshadowed by a sense of sadness and loss—I could remember the joy that came with it. I let go of all my fears and let myself live in the moment. For the first time in years, I was able to play with Anna again. All too soon the fun came to an end and Anna popped up from a rather large snow pile she had fallen into. She threw the white powder into the air and laughed.

"Catch me!"

My heart sped up as I shot a hand out and formed a snow pile under her. Now that I knew what happened I could prevent it, I could make it so that I never hurt Anna. Mr. Xavier said our painful memories made us stronger, but remembering only seemed to weaken me. Whenever I thought about Anna's crumpled form lying on the ice all I felt was a strong sense of guilt and fear. Was it really so bad to want the memory to be good?

Anna was picking up speed now, and I called out for her to slow down, just like I had done that night. It all happened so fast, and I wasn't ready. My mind spun into a panic and I stumbled back, slipping on the ice.

"Anna!" I cried as she gave a final leap. The nightmare was real—it was happening again right before my eyes. I wanted to reach out, but I knew what would happen if I did. Instead I watched in horror as Anna fell onto the ice. There was a sickening crack as she hit the floor, and her body went limp. My senses numbed as I picked myself up and ran over to her, cradling her in my arms.

"Anna? Anna!" I cried, trying to shake her awake. Her skin had paled and she was barely breathing. What had I done? The ice spread beneath me as I let out a cry, hugging her close to my chest. Then, just as quickly as the memory had sprung up, it disappeared. The weight in my arms vanished and the scene around me faded until it was just whitewashed walls that surrounded me.

A moment later the door opened up and I could hear feet rushing over to me. Mr. Xavier knelt down to my level and placed a hand on my shoulder. That was as far as he got before I threw my arms around him, holding onto any source of comfort I could find. My resolve to be strong had been all but forgotten. My shoulders shook and the tears wouldn't stop coming…but as he ran a hand over my hair, whispering that everything was all right, I felt a distinct sense of calmness wash over me. I had gone through my worst memory…and I had come out just fine.

Once I had calmed down Mr. Xavier asked, "What happened?"

"It all happened so fast. I couldn't stop it."

"Would you like to try the simulation again?"

I looked down at the icy ground. For the past few years all I could think about was how much I wanted to go back to that moment and change what had happened, but now that I had, I finally realized that there was little I could have done. Anna obviously wouldn't have stopped no matter what I'd said, and there was no way I could have caught her since she was moving too fast. Nothing I'd done could have prevented it. Besides, it could have ended so much worse than it already had, and that was what I hadn't realized before. I could have misfired and hit her in the heart. If I had let her fall, she could have been hurt even worse. Even if I had somehow avoided the accident, it would have only been a matter of time before something else happened—another place, another time...another accident. My parents would have grown to fear me no matter what.

As much as it hurt to think about, maybe it was always _meant_ to happen this way. It all led me here, hadn't it? For so long I'd wanted to go back and change that moment, but now that I had relived it, I realized just how much it affected me. It made me who I am. It made Mama and Papa afraid of me, it made me shut Anna out…but it led me to Mr. Xavier, one of the most extraordinary people I'd ever met. It made me discover what I really was, and that I wasn't the only one out there who was _different_. It all led to this moment in time.

"No. I think…I think it was always meant to happen like this."

Mr. Xavier gave me such a brilliant smile in that moment as he leaned forward and wiped away my stray tears. At the feeling of skin against mine, I suddenly realized he wasn't wearing his ice proof suit. He wasn't wearing his suit, and I hadn't hurt him.

"You're so much stronger than you think, Elsa."

At the words I'd been so desperately aching to hear, I felt a sense of pride well up inside me. I leaned forward and wrapped my arms around him in a hug without even an ounce of fear about hurting him—I knew I wouldn't. This time it wasn't the kind of hug that left a child clinging to someone for support—it was one of gratitude.

"Thank you, Mr. Xavier."

* * *

**I'm so, _so_ sorry that it took me six months to update this! I made this chapter a little longer than usual to make up for it, though! :) This chapter was more character development than anything else, but hopefully still interesting. In the next chapter there should be a lot of stuff happening in the areas of action and plot, so hopefully that'll be coming out soon! For now, hope you all enjoyed the update! ****Thanks to everyone who reviewed, favorite, and followed!**

**In response to Guest: I can't say about future pairings. You'll just have to read and find out. ;) But as for right now, her feelings towards Charles are more hero worship than anything else.**


End file.
